THE    MOTOR    PIRATE 


5"*^^^^ 
*%€»< 


99999999999999999999999999999999999999 


^ 


THE 


MOTOR  PIRATE 


jfc-Jfc^-^jj»-^fc-^--^A--^^^ 


paternoster 


Wtib  a  Jrontbptcce  bp  Cbarlcs  E.  S>pke0 


Copyright, 
BY  L.  C.  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

(INCORPORATED) 
All  rights  reserved 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PACK 

I.  MAINLY  ABOUT  MYSELF  i 

II.  THE  COMPTON  CHAMBERLAIN  OUTRAGE  .        9 

III.  WHEREIN  I  MEET  THE  PIRATE  .        .  .21 

IV.  CONCERNING  MY  RIVAL        .        .        .  .36 
V.  THE  COLONEL  DREAMS  AND  I  AWAKEN  .      48 

VI.     I  AM  ARRESTED 59 

VII.     I    MAKE   FRIENDS  WITH    INSPECTOR  FOR- 
REST, C.I.D 71 

VIJI.    MURDER 81 

IX.    EXPLAINS  A  MYSTERIOUS  DISAPPEARANCE  .  92 

X.     DESCRIBING  A  RIDE  WITH  THE  PIRATE       .  104 
XI.     IN    WHICH    THE    PIRATE    HOLDS    UP   THE 

BRIGHTON  MAIL 113 

XII.    How    WE    EXCHANGE    SHOTS    WITH    THE 

PIRATE 123 

XIII.  OF  THE  ADVANTAGES  OF  BEING  WOUNDED  135 

XIV.  A  CLOUD  APPEARS  ON  LOVE'S  HORIZON     .  145 
XV.    A  CLUE  AT  LAST 155 

XVI.    I  COMMIT  A  BURGLARY         .        .        .        .165 

XVII.     STORM 176 

XVIII.     IN    WHICH    THE    PIRATE    APPEARS    IN    A 

FROLICSOME  HUMOUR        .        .        .        .187 


2137S68 


VI 

CHAPTER 

XIX. 
XX. 

XXI. 

XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 


CONTENTS 

A  HOT  SCENT 

RELATES    How  THE  PIRATE  HOLDS  UP  AN 

AUGUST  PERSONAGE  

WE  PLAN  AN  AMBUSH          . 

GONE  AWAY 

SAVED    

REVELATIONS 


PACK 
196 

207 
218 
228 
24O 
249 


THE    MOTOR    PIRATE 


CHAPTER   I 

MAINLY    ABOUT    MYSELF 

OF  course  every  one  has  heard  of  the  Motor  Pirate.  No 
one  indeed  could  help  doing  so  unless  he  or  she,  as  the 
case  may  be,  happened  to  be  in  some  part  of  the  world 
where  newspapers  never  penetrate ;  since  for  months  his 
doings  were  the  theme  of  every  gossip  in  the  country, 
and  his  exploits  have  filled  columns  of  every  newspaper 
from  the  moment  of  his  first  appearance  until  the  day 
when  the  reign  of  terror  he  had  inaugurated  upon  the 
roads  ended  as  suddenly  and  as  sensationally  as  it  had 
begun.  Who  the  owner  of  the  pirate  car  was  ?  Whence 
he  came  ?  Whither  he  went  ?  These  are  questions 
which  have  exercised  minds  innumerable  ;  but  though 
there  have  been  nearly  as  many  theories  propounded  as 
there  were  brains  at  work  propounding  them,  so  far  no 
informed  account  of  the  man  or  his  methods  has  been 
made  public. 

Nearly  twelve  months  have  now  elapsed  since  he  wa« 


2  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

last  heard  of,  and  already  a  number  of  myths  have  grown 
up  about  his  mysterious  personality.  For  instance,  it 
is  not  true,  as  I  saw  asserted  in  a  sensational  evening 
paper  the  other  day,  that  the  Motor  Pirate  was  in  the 
habit  of  abducting  every  young  and  attractive  woman 
who  happened  to  be  travelling  in  any  of  the  cars  he  held 
up.  On  only  one  occasion  did  he  abduct  a  lady,  and 
in  that  case  there  were  special  circumstances  with  which 
the  public  have  never  been  made  acquainted.  His  deeds 
were  quite  black  enough  without  further  blackening  with 
printer's  ink,  and  it  would  be  a  pity  if  the  real  Motor 
Pirate  were  lost  sight  of  in  mythical  haze  such  as  has 
gathered  about  the  name  of  his  great  prototype,  Dick 
Turpin. 

It  has  occurred  to  me,  therefore,  to  tell  the  story  of  his 
doings — it  would  be  impossible  for  any  mortal  man  to 
give  an  absolutely  detailed  account  of  his  life  and  actions 
— but  I  know  more  than  the  majority  of  people  about 
the  personality  of  the  man.  Of  one  thing  my  readers 
may  be  assured  :  I  personally  can  vouch  for  the  accuracy 
of  every  fact  which  I  chronicle.  You  see  I  am  not  a 
professional  historian. 

How  it  happened  that  I  am  in  a  position  to  give 
hitherto  unknown  particulars  about  the  Motor  Pirate 
will  appear  in  the  course  of  my  narrative.  Sufficient  for 
the  moment  let  it  be  for  me  to  say  that  it  was  purely  by 
chance  that  the  opportunity  was  thrown  in  my  way ; 
though,  as  it  happened,  it  was  not  entirely  without  my  own 
volition  that  I  became  involved  in  the  network  of  events 


MAINLY   ABOUT   MYSELF  3 

which  finally  resulted  in  the  tragedy  which  closed  his 
career.  By  that  tragedy  the  world  lost  a  brilliant  thinker 
and  inventor,  though  unfortunately  these  great  talents 
were  accompanied  by  an  abnormal  condition  of  mind, 
which  led  the  owner  to  utilise  his  invention  in  criminal 
pursuits. 

It  may  probably  seem  strange  that,  being  in  possession 
of  facts  as  to  the  identity  of  this  mysterious  person,  I  did 
not  lay  them  before  the  police,  who,  at  any  time  during 
the  three  months  of  his  criminal  career,  would  have  given 
their  ears  to  lay  him  by  the  heels.  You  may  even  think 
it  is  their  duty  to  take  proceedings  against  me  as  an 
accomplice.  Well,  I  am  quite  prepared  to  answer  any 
question  which  the  police,  or  any  one  else  for  that  matter, 
desires  to  put  to  me.  James  Sutgrove,  of  Sutgrove  Hall, 
Norfolk,  is  not  likely  to  change  his  address.  When  my 
poor  old  governor  died  he  left  me  sufficient  excuse,  in  the 
shape  of  real  estate,  for  remaining  in  the  country  of  my 
birth ;  though,  if  the  necessity  had  arisen,  I  should  not 
have  hesitated  about  going  abroad.  At  twenty-five,  my 
age  within  a  few  weeks,  a  man  has  usually  sufficient 
energy  to  enable  him  to  carve  out  a  career  for  himself 
in  a  new  country,  and  I  do  not  think  I  am  very  different 
to  my  fellows  in  that  respect.  But  the  fact  is,  I  have 
nothing  to  fear  from  the  police.  My  criminality  was 
less  than  theirs.  An  ordinary  citizen  may  be  forgiven 
if  he  is  blind  to  the  meaning  of  things  which  occur  under 
his  nose,  but  the  police  are  expected  to  be  possessed  of 
somewhat  sharper  vision.  The  utmost  that  can  be  urged 


4  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

against  me  is,  that  if  my  eyes  had  been  keener  than  those 
of  Scotland  Yard,  reinforced  by  the  trained  vision  of 
some  hundreds  of  intelligent  chief  constables  throughout 
the  country,  I  might  have  been  able  to  lay  my  hands 
upon  the  Motor  Pirate  before — but  I  must  not  anticipate 
my  story. 

One  word  of  apology,  however,  before  I  begin.  In 
order  to  make  my  narrative  fully  intelligible  I  shall  have 
to  refer  to  matters  which  may  seem  of  a  purely  personal 
nature.  I  will  make  these  as  brief  as  possible,  but  it 
was  entirely  through  such  that  I  was  brought  into  closer 
touch  with  the  Motor  Pirate  than,  perhaps  with  one 
exception,  any  other  person  in  the  world*  If  therefore 
I  seem  to  be  devoting  too  much  attention  to  what  appears 
to  be  merely  personal  interest,  I  trust  I  may  be  excused. 
To  begin,  then,  at  the  beginning. 

*  *  *  •  • 

On  the  evening  of  March  31,  19 — ,  I  had  arranged 
to  dine  in  town  with  a  couple  of  friends,  both  of  them 
neighbours  of  mine.  I  am  not  going  to  mention  the 
name  of  the  restaurant.  It  was  not  one  of  the  fashion- 
able ones,  or  probably  neither  the  cuisine  nor  the  wines 
would  have  been  so  good  as  they  were,  though  both 
would  unquestionably  have  been  more  expensive.  I 
prefer,  therefore,  to  keep  the  name  to  myself.  It  was 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Soho,  however,  and  the  reason 
I  had  invited  my  friends  was  in  order  to  disabuse  their 
minds  of  the  idea  that  everything  in  that  neighbourhood 
was  of  necessity  cheap  and  nasty.  I  had  determined 


MAINLY   ABOUT   MYSELF  5 

that  their  palates  should  be  charmed  by  the  dinner  they 
were  to  eat,  so,  in  addition  to  sending  a  note  to  the 
proprietor,  I  thought  it  as  well  to  arrive  at  the  restaurant 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  the  appointed  time,  in  order 
to  make  assurance  doubly  sure  that  everything  was  as 
I  desired  it.  Had  my  guests  been  casual  acquaintances, 
I  must  confess  that  I  should  never  have  taken  this 
trouble.  But  they  were  not.  One  of  them  was  the 
renowned  Colonel  Maitland.  I  never  heard  anything 
about  his  war  service,  but  I  do  know  that  as  a 
gastronomist  his  reputation  is  European.  The  cool  way 
he  will  condemn  an  entriey  presented  to  him  by  an 
obsequious  waiter,  merely  after  casting  a  single  glance 
upon  it,  speaks  volumes  for  his  critical  insight ;  and  as 
for  wines — well,  he  can  tell  the  vineyard  and  the  vintage 
of  a  claret  by  the  scent  alone.  I  verily  believe  that 
were  he  to  be  served  with  a  corked  wine,  the  result 
would  be  instant  dissolution  between  his  gastronomic 
soul  and  body.  Naturally  I  had  to  make  some  prepara- 
tions, in  order  that  such  delicate  susceptibilities  should 
not  be  offended.  In  addition,  I  had  a  special  reason  for 
seeking  to  please  him.  Colonel  Maitland  had  a  daughter. 
I  have  only  to  mention  the  name  of  my  other  guest 
to  reveal  his  identity  to  every  one  with  any  knowledge 
of  the  motoring  world.  It  was  Fred  Winter,  the  Fred 
Winter,  leading  light  of  the  Automobile  Club,  holder 
of  more  road  records  than  I  can  count,  in  fact  the  most 
enthusiastic  motorist  in  the  country.  It  was  in  con- 
sequence of  this,  indeed,  that  he  came  to  be  my  guest. 


6  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

There  were  few  questions  in  regard  to  motoring  upon 
which  Winter  was  not  competent  to  give  an  opinion, 
and  being  myself  a  victim  to  the  prevailing  motor-mania, 
I  was  deeply  indebted  to  him  for  many  valuable  tips. 
By  this  time  I  had  passed  my  novitiate,  and  was  still 
driving  a  neat  little  9^-h.p.  C16ment  in  order  to  fit 
myself  for  a  more  powerful  and  speedy  car. 

I  arrived  then  at  the  restaurant  about  a  quarter  to 
eight,  and  having  had  a  brief  but  satisfactory  interview 
with  the  proprietor,  I  made  my  way  to  the  table  I  had 
reserved  in  my  favourite  corner  of  the  dining-room. 
Finding  I  had  ten  minutes  to  spare,  to  kill  time  I  ordered 
a  vermouth  and  the  evening  papers.  The  Globe  was  the 
first  upon  the  pile  the  waiter  brought  to  me,  and  follow- 
ing the  example  of  most  sane  men,  I  skipped  the  parlia- 
mentary intelligence  and  turned  to  the  "  By  the  Way " 
column.  I  remember  distinctly  there  was  only  one 
amusing  paragraph  therein,  and  I  was  about  to  throw 
the  paper  aside,  with  the  customary  lament  as  to  the 
decadence  of  British  humour,  when  my  attention  was 
arrested  by  a  paragraph  at  the  bottom  of  the  next  column. 
The  heading  was  '*  Strange  Highway  Robbery."  This 
was  the  paragraph  : — 

"  Our  Plymouth  correspondent  reports  a  novel  high- 
way robbery  on  the  road  between  Tavistock  aad  Ply- 
mouth. Two  gentlemen  who  had  been  for  a  run  on 
their  motor  to  Tavistock,  left  the  latter  town  about  eight 
o'clock  last  night.  Their  journey  was  uneventful  until 
they  reached  Roborough,  where  they  were  suddenly 


MAINLY   ABOUT   MYSELF  7 

overtaken  by  a  motor-car  occupied  by  a  man,  who  pre- 
sented a  pistol  at  their  heads,  and  ordered  them  to  stop. 
Thinking  that  the  stranger  merely  intended  to  scare 
them,  and  that  the  summons  was  only  an  ill-advised 
piece  of  pleasantry,  they  paid  no  attention  to  the  demand ; 
whereupon  the  driver  of  the  strange  car,  with  a  well- 
directed  shot,  so  damaged  the  machinery  of  their  vehicle 
that  they  were  compelled  to  obey.  Their  attacker  then 
demanded  all  the  money  and  articles  of  value  they  had 
in  their  possession  under  threat  of  completely  wrecking 
their  car,  and  after  securing  his  booty  the  highwayman 
decamped.  In  consequence  of  the  damage  to  their  motor, 
it  was  not  until  late  at  night  that  they  reached  Plymouth, 
and  were  enabled  to  give  particulars  of  the  occurrence 
to  the  police.  From  their  description  of  the  stranger's 
vehicle,  identification  should  not  be  difficult.  It  is  a 
long,  low,  boat-shaped  car  of  remarkable  speed,  and  from 
the  little  noise  it  creates  is  probably  driven  by  an  electric 
motor.  As  to  the  personal  appearance  of  the  driver,  the 
gentlemen  who  were  robbed  could  form  no  opinion,  for 
he  wore  the  usual  leather  coat  affected  by  tourists,  and 
his  head  was  completely  enveloped  in  a  hood." 

On  reading  this  paragraph,  my  first  impulse  was  to 
lay  aside  the  paper  and  indulge  in  a  hearty  laugh.  My 
impression  was  that  some  wag  had  been  hoaxing  either 
the  Plymouth  correspondent  or  the  London  editor  of  the 
Globe.  However,  my  curiosity  was  sufficiently  aroused 
to  lead  me  to  take  up  another  paper,  to  sec  if  the  Glebe 
was  the  only  paper  which  reported  the  occurrence. 


8  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

The  next  paper  on  my  pile  was  the  Stary  and  the 
moment  I  unfolded  the  pink  sheet,  I  perceived  that  this 
liveliest  of  evening  journals  was  not  going  to  be  left 
behind  by  the  Globe  in  providing  the  public  with  par- 
ticulars of  the  latest  sensation.  Under  the  heading  of 
"A  Motor  Pirate,"  with  descriptive  headlines  extending 
across  a  couple  of  columns,  and  as  attractively  alliterative 
as  the  cunning  pen  of  a  smart  sub-editor  could  make 
them,  was  the  account  of  a  similar  incident.  At  first 
I  thought  it  must  be  the  same  occurrence,  but  a  brief 
perusal  showed  me  that  this  impression  was  a  wrong  one. 
But  I  will  give  the  Star  account  in  full,  and  I  do  so  the 
more  readily,  not  only  because  it  contains  the  first  detailed 
account  of  the  man  whose  extraordinary  audacity  was 
shortly  to  raise  the  interest  of  the  public  to  fever  pitch, 
but  also  because  it  tells  the  story  with  a  force  and  colour 
of  which  my  unpractised  pen  is  incapable.  Apologising 
therefore  to  the  editor  for  the  liberty  I  have  taken,  I 
reprint  the  Star  account  verbatim.  I  think,  however, 
the  story  deserves  a  new  chapter. 


CHAPTER   II 

THl   COMPTON    CHAMBERLAIN    OUTRAGE 

"A  MOTOR  PIRATE 

"TAKES  TOLL  OF  TRAVELLERS  IN  THE  WIST, 

"  A  VEILED  STRANGER  ON  A  MYSTERIOUS  MOTOR  FLIES 
"THE  BLACK  FLAG  NEAR  SALISBURY. 

"ON  receipt  of  the  following  extraordinary  story  from 
the  Central  News  Agency  this  morning,  the  Star  at  once 
sent  a  representative  to  make  inquiries  on  the  spot.  His 
inquiries  reveal  the  existence  of  a  new  terror  to  all  who 
travel  by  road.  Following  are  the  facts  communicated 
to  us  by  the  agency  : — 

"  *  A  daring  highway  robbery  was  committed  near 
Salisbury  late  last  night.  The  victims  were  two  gentle- 
men who  had  been  touring  in  the  west  country  by  motor. 
They  had  intended  to  reach  Salisbury  early  yesterday 
evening,  but  were  delayed  by  a  puncture.  When  about 
eight  miles  from  Salisbury  they  were  attacked  by  the 
occupant  of  another  car,  who  wrecked  their  vehicle,  and, 
after  robbing  them  of  all  their  valuables,  decamped,  leav- 
ing them  badly  injured  by  the  wayside.  There  they 


io  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

were  discovered  some  time  afterwards  and  removed    to 
the  nearest  inn  at  Compton  Chamberlain,  where   they 
remain  under  medical  attendance.  —  Central  News' 
**  The  Star  special  correspondent  wires  :  — 

"Compton  Chamberlain,  12.30. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  Motor  Pirate  has  a 
real  existence.  On  arriving  at  Salisbury  I  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  make  inquiries  as  to  what  was  known  of  the 
outrage,  but  Salisbury  generally  was  sceptical  on  the 
subject.  I  found,  however,  that  the  affair  had  been 
reported  at  the  county  police  office  ;  and  I  at  once  drove 
on  here,  and  am  now  in  a  position  to  assert  that  this  quiet 
Wiltshire  village  has  been  the  scene  of  the  most  astounding 
robbery  of  modern  times.  It  is  safe  to  prophecy  that  in 
a  few  more  months  Dick  Turpin  will  be  forgotten.  He 
has  a  rival  in  the  field  whose  exploits  will  soon  relegate 
him  into  comparative  obscurity. 

"  The  first  visible  evidence  of  the  outrage  was  afforded 
me  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  Compton.  The  road 
dips  here  slightly,  and  at  the  end  of  the  incline  a  motor- 
car was  drawn  to  the  side  of  the  road,  or  rather  the 
remains  of  what  had  once  been  a  smart  Daimler  of  some 
7  or  8  h.p.  A  stonebreaker  was  at  work  on  an  adjacent 
pile  of  flints,  and  when  I  alighted  to  examine  the  wreck, 
he  hailed  me  with,  *  Hoy,  mister  !  Ye'd  better  leave 
thick  thur  car  alone.  The  p'iice  be  comin'  to  tek  un  up 


I  gathered  from  him  that  he  had  been  told  to  keep 


THE   OUTRAGE  n 

an  eye  upon  the  car,  but  beyond  having  heard  that  the 
owners  had  met  with  an  accident,  he  knew  nothing. 
There  was  no  doubt  about  the  accident.  The  car  was 
so  broken  up  that  it  looked  as  if  it  had  been  in  collision 
with  an  armoured  train. 

"Compton  Chamberlain,  2.45  p.m. 

"  I  have  just  succeeded  in  interviewing  the  owner  of 
the  motor-car,  a  Mr.  James  Bradshaw,  of  379,  Maida 
Vale.  His  companion  was  Mr.  Gainsborough  Roberts, 
of  200,  Clapham  Common.  Mr.  Roberts  is  suffering 
from  severe  concussion,  and  has  not  regained  conscious- 
ness ;  but  fortunately  Mr.  Bradshaw's  injuries,  though 
painful,  arc  not  dangerous,  and  he  has  been  good  enough 
to  give  me  a  full  account  of  his  unique  adventure.  It 
seems  the  two  gentlemen  had  been  touring  in  the  west 
country  for  ten  days,  and  were  on  their  way  home. 
They  stopped  the  previous  night  at  Exeter,  leaving  about 
ten  in  the  morning  with  the  intention  of  reaching  Salis- 
bury about  five  or  six  yesterday  evening.  They  lunched 
at  Ilminster,  and  afterwards  had  traversed  another  twenty- 
five  miles  of  their  journey  when  one  of  their  tyres 
unfortunately  punctured.  This  was  shortly  after  they 
had  passed  through  Wincanton.  When  the  tyre  was 
mended,  something  went  wrong  with  the  electric  ignition, 
and  altogether  the  repairs  proved  such  a  tedious  job  that 
they  could  not  make  a  fresh  start  until  close  upon  lighting- 
up  time. 

**  The  delay  had  not  troubled  them,  for  the  weather 


12  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

was  beautifully  fine.  As,  however,  they  were  very 
hungry,  they  determined  to  stop  at  Shaftesbury  for  dinner 
before  finishing  the  day's  run  they  had  mapped  out. 
There  is  a  particularly  long  hill  into  Shaftesbury,  and 
they  did  not  reach  that  town  until  8.30.  At  the  hotel 
they  met  another  party  of  motorists,  and,  agreeing  to  dine 
together,  it  was  not  until  after  ten  that  they  found  them- 
selves once  more  on  their  way,  with  twenty  miles  of  a 
hilly  road  to  cover.  The  lateness  of  the  hour  did  not 
trouble  them  much.  They  had  wired  to  Salisbury  for 
rooms ;  the  night  was  fine  and  clear ;  a  bright  moon  was 
shining ;  the  roads  were  clear  of  traffic,  and  their  motor 
was  guaranteed  to  do  its  thirty-five  miles  an  hour.  They 
thought  that  it  would  be  a  good  opportunity  to  find  out 
what  Mr.  Bradshaw's  car  was  really  capable  of  doing  on 
a  hilly  track. 

"  Mr.  Bradshaw  declares  that  he  had  never  enjoyed  a 
run  more  than  he  did  on  this  occasion.  A  brisk  wind 
was  blowing  behind  them,  they  found  there  was  more 
downhill  than  up,  the  road  was  absolutely  clear,  and  they 
were  able  to  take  the  declines  at  a  pace  which  took  the 
»ting  out  of  the  ascents. 

"  So  for  twenty  minutes  they  ran  at  full  speed,  and 
after  slowing  to  pass  through  a  village,  they  had  just  put 
on  full  speed  again  when  Mr.  Bradshaw's  attention  was 
arrested  by  a  curious  humming  sound  which  appeared  to 
arise  from  something  behind.  He  was,  of  course,  unable 
to  glance  back,  as  all  his  faculties  were  engaged  in  driving 
the  car  ;  but  Mr.  Roberts,  whose  attention  was  attracted 


THE   OUTRAGE  13 

at  the  same  moment,  informed  him  that  another  motor- 
car was  coming  up  behind.  Then,  to  quote  Mr.  Brad- 
shaw's  own  words,  *  Thinking  the  other  chap  was  on  for 
a  race,  I  did  everything  I  knew  to  get  every  ounce  out  of 
my  motor.  But,'  he  continued,  *  though  I'll  swear  we 
were  running  nearer  forty  than  thirty-five,  the  other 
fellow  swooped  up  and  passed  us  as  if  we  were  standing 
still.' 

"  For  the  moment  he  thought  that  the  stranger  was 
one  of  those  American  speed  motors  specially  built  for 
racing  on  the  track,  but  only  for  a  moment.  The  strange 
car  slackening  speed,  allowed  them  to  come  alongside. 
What  followed  may  be  best  described  in  Mr.  Bradshaw's 
own  words. 

**  *  There  was  only  one  occupant  of  the  strange  car, 
and,  seeing  him  slacken  speed,  I  naturally  thought  he 
wished  to  speak  to  us.  So,  as  he  came  level,  I  shouted 
to  him,  my  exact  words  being,  if  I  remember  aright, 
"  Hallo,  sir  !  You've,  got  a  flyer  there."  I  fancied  I 
heard  a  chuckle  from  beneath  his  mask  (he  wore  a  hood 
covering  the  head  fitted  with  a  mica  plate  in  front)  and 
he  replied,  "  Yes  ;  I  fancy  my  car  is  fast  enough  to 
overtake  anything  that  is  to  be  found  on  the  road." 
There  was  something  in  his  tone  that  struck  me  as 
peculiar,  but  I  merely  attributed  it  to  the  motorist's  pride 
in  his  car.  As  however  he  said  nothing  further,  but 
continued  to  keep  alongside,  in  a  manner  that  looked 
as  if  he  were  inclined  to  gloat  over  the  owner  of  a  less 
speedy  machine,  I  asked  with  some  little  irritation,  "Is 


I4  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

there  anything  I  can  do  for  you,  because  if  not ** 

He  did  not  allow  me  to  finish  my  query.  **  Yes,  sir,'* 
he  replied  promptly,  "  there  is  something  I  am  going  to 
ask  you  to  do  for  me,"  and  he  gave  another  of  his  infernal 
chuckles. 

** « «  Well,  what  is  it  ? **  I  demanded,  with  a  little 
warmth. 

« *  « I  must  request  you  to  hand  over  all  your  money 
and  valuables  to  me,"  he  replied. 

***!  could  not  believe  my  ears.  I  was  so  astonished 
that  I  gave  the  wheel  a  turn  that  nearly  landed  us  in 
the  ditch.  Will  you  believe  it  ?  Even  in  that  swerve 
the  strange  car  followed  mine,  and  when  I  had  got  her 
straight  in  the  road,  I  heard  him  chuckle  again.  His 
manner  angered  me  beyond  bearing. 

*****  What  the  deuce  do  you  mean  ?  "  I  shouted. 

*****  There's  no  need  for  you  to  lose  your  temper,** 
he  answered  coolly.  **  I  must,  however,  trouble  you  to 
stop  that  car  at  once.** 

**  *  As  he  spoke  he  raised  his  hand,  and  I  saw  the  barrel 
of  a  revolver  glisten  in  the  moonlight.  There  seemed 
to  be  only  one  way  out  of  the  predicament,  for  I  thought 
I  had  to  deal  with  a  madman,  and  I  took  it.  I  pretended 
to  be  so  alarmed  that  I  fell  over  the  steering  wheel,  and 
made  my  car  swerve  again.  But  this  time  we  swerved 
towards,  instead  of  away  from,  the  stranger.  I  doubt 
whether  there  was  light  enough  for  him  to  have  read 
my  intention  in  my  face,  but  it  was  obvious  that  he 
anticipated  my  move,  for  his  car  shot  forward  with  such 


THE  OUTRAGE  15 

wonderful  speed  that  the  fate  I  intended  to  force  upon 
him  befell  myself.  I  saw  his  car  disappearing  ahead, 
and  the  next  moment  I  was  just  conscious  of  a  shock 
that  sent  me  flying  into  oblivion. 

'*  *  Exactly  how  long  I  remained  unconscious  I  do  not 
know,  but  when  I  came  to  my  senses  I  found  myself 
lying  on  the  grass  at  the  roadside,  having  fortunately 
been  thrown  on  the  soft  turf.  Roberts  was  lying  uncon- 
scious on  the  road  ;  the  car  was  smashed  to  bits  ;  our 
pockets  had  been  turned  inside  out,  and  our  money, 
watches,  and  every  article  of  value  we  had  about  us, 
taken.  Needless  to  say,  the  stranger  had  disappeared.' 

"  Mr.  Bradshaw  was  not  in  a  state  to  be  of  much 
assistance  to  his  more  badly  injured  friend,  and  he  was 
at  a  complete  loss  as  to  what  course  to  pursue,  when  a 
trap  coming  from  Salisbury  fortunately  made  its  appear- 
ance on  the  scene.  Assistance  was  procured,  and  the 
two  injured  gentlemen  were  conveyed  to  Compton,  and 
medical  attention  quickly  provided.  Though  much 
shaken,  and  badly  bruised,  Mr.  Bradshaw  has  sustained 
comparatively  little  injury.  Mr.  Roberts,  however,  is 
dangerously  ill,  and  his  relatives  have  been  telegraphed  for. 

"As  regards  the  appearance  of  his  assailant,  Mr. 
Bradshaw  can  give  few  particulars,  save  that  he  was  clad 
in  a  large  leather  motoring  coat,  and  his  face  completely 
hidden  by  a  mask.  The  car  can,  on  the  contrary,  be 
easily  identified.  It  is  boat-shaped,  running  to  a  sharp, 
cutting  edge  both  in  front  and  behind.  The  body  is 
not  raised  more  than  eighteen  inches  from  the  ground. 


1 6  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

The  wheels  are  either  within  the  body,  or  so  sheathed 
that  they  are  completely  hidden.  It  has  apparently 
seating  accommodation  for  two  persons,  the  seat  being 
placed  immediately  in  the  centre  of  the  car.  Mr.  Brad- 
shaw  is  quite  convinced  that  petrol  is  not  the  motive 
force  used  for  its  propulsion,  and  as  he  cannot  imagine 
that  an  electric  motor  of  any  kind  was  employed ;  the 
rapidity  of  motion,  the  perfection  of  the  steering,  the 
absence  of  noise  and  vibration,  are  so  remarkable  that 
he  is  utterly  at  a  loss  as  to  what  build  of  car  was  driven 
by  the  stranger." 

I  had  just  finished  reading  this  extraordinary  story 
when  I  felt  a  tap  on  the  shoulder,  and,  looking  up,  saw 
Colonel  Maitland  standing  before  me. 

"Ton  my  word,  Sutgrove,"  he  remarked,  "I  have 
never  before  seen  any  one  so  completely  enthralled  in 
a  newspaper  in  my  life.  I've  been  standing  watching 
you  for  nearly  a  minute." 

I  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  held  out  my  hand. 

**  What's  the  latest  from  Mr.  Justice  Jeune's  division  ? 
When  you  come  to  my  years  of  discretion  you  will  be 
more  interested  in  the  menu." 

I  laughed.  "  It  was  not  the  inanities  of  the  divorce 
court,  Colonel,"  I  remarked ;  u  but  the  most  as- 
tonishing  " 

He  checked  me  with  uplifted  hand.  "Being  a 
rational  being,"  he  said,  "  I  prefer  my  stories  with  my 
cigar.  One  should  come  to  dinner  with  a  calm  mind." 

At  this  moment  Winter  entered  the  room,  and,  giving 


THE   OUTRAGE  17 

a  signal  to  the  waiter,  the  hon  d'asuvre  were  placed  before 
us  as  he  seated  himself  at  the  table. 

When  he  had  greeted  me  I  had  observed  that  Colonel 
Maitland's  face  had  worn  a  slightly  resigned  expression 
that  reminded  me  of  a  picture  I  had  seen  somewhere 
of  Christian  martyrs  being  led  to  the  stake.  He  took 
a  mouthful  of  caviar  and  the  cloud  lifted.  After  the 
soup  the  dominant  note  of  self-sacrifice  had  vanished 
entirely.  With  the  fish  his  features  attained  repose. 
When  we  reached  the  entrle  his  face  had  the  radiance 
of  a  translated  saint's.  Then,  with  my  mind  at  rest  as 
to  the  effect  of  my  little  dinner  upon  my  chief  guest,  I 
found  time  to  devote  a  little  attention  to  Winter.  Yet, 
bearing  in  mind  the  Colonel's  objection  to  anything  but 
light  generalities  during  the  serious  business  of  dinner, 
I  forbore  to  introduce  the  topic  I  was  burning  to  discuss 
with  him.  Not  until  the  coffee  was  upon  the  table,  and 
Colonel  Maitland  had  expressed  his  contentment  with 
the  dinner,  did  I  venture  to  refer  to  it.  Then,  while 
our  senior  was  dallying  with  an  early  strawberry,  Winter 
gave  me  a  lead. 

"  By  the  way,  Sutgrove,"  he  said,  "  what's  this  I  saw 
on  the  evening  paper  bills  about  a  motor  pirate  ?  " 

I  told  him.  His  interest  was  awakened  to  such  an 
extent  that  he  forgot  to  taste  the  glass  of  port  which 
stood  before  him,  and  which  I  had  ordered  out  of  com- 
pliment to  the  Colonel's  ideas  of  what  was  desirable. 

When  my  story  was  concluded  Winter  was  silent. 
Colonel  Maitland,  however,  hazarded  the  remark  that 

0 


it  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

the  whole  narrative  was  "  a  concoction  of  some  of  those 
newspaper  fellows.  I  have  been  at  the  War  Office,"  he 
said,  **  so  I  ought  to  know  of  what  they  arc  capable." 

"I  can  scarcely  imagine  that  any  newspaper  would 
dare  hoax  its  readers  to  such  an  extent,"  remarked 
Winter. 

"They  are  capable  of  anything — anything,"  replied 
the  Colonel,  vigorously.  "  I  have  known  them  on  more 
than  one  occasion  to  attack  even  my  department." 

**  That  of  course  is  scandalous,"  I  replied  warmly  ; 
"but  here  the  conditions  are  different.  They  are  referring 
to  people  who  are  able  to  reply  if  the  facts  are  not  as 
stated.  In  your  case  your  mouth,  of  course,  was  closed." 

«  Umph  !  "  growled  the  Colonel 

**  At  the  same  time,"  said  Winter,  **  it  may  very  well 
have  happened  that  consciously  or  unconsciously  the 
papers  have  been  made  the  victims  of  a  practical  joke. 
To-morrow  is  the  first  of  April,  remember.  Or  even 
apart  from  the  joke  theory,  the  event  happened  after 
dinner,  and  Mr.  Bradshaw  may  have  found  it  necessary 
to  be  prepared  with  an  explanation  of  his  accident." 

"But  the  robbery  ?"  I  objected. 

M  A  passing  tramp  may  have  thought  the  opportunity 
too  good  to  be  neglected." 

"  At  all  events,"  I  persisted,  "  it  is  curious  that  two 
similar  accidents  should  have  occurred  the  same  night  in 
the  same  part  of  the  country." 

**  Certainly  the  coincidence  is  remarkable,"  answered 
Winter.  "  But  do  not  forget  that  the  two  occurrences 


THE   OUTRAGE  19 

took  place  at  least  a  hundred  and  thirty  miles  apart  within 
less  than  three  hours  of  one  another.  I  will  swear  that 
no  motor  yet  built  would  cover  those  roads  inside  three 
hours.  I  know  them.  No,  Sutgrove.  The  moral 
seems  to  me  to  be  that  it  is  unwise  for  a  motorman  to 
look  upon  the  wine  when  it  is  red,  if  he  wants  to  get 
anywhere  afterwards." 

The  Colonel  stretched  his  hand  across  the  table  and 
removed  the  glass  which  stood  on  the  table  before 
Winter. 

"  My  young  friend,"  he  observed,  **  you  have,  I 
believe,  undertaken  to  bring  me  safely  home  to-night  ? " 

"  You  need  not  fear,"  replied  Winter,  laughing,  "  it's 
only  the  liquors  supplied  at  country  inns  which  drive 
motor-cars  into  ditches." 

The  Colonel  replaced  the  glass  with  a  smile  and 
refilled  his  own  from  the  cradled  bottle  at  his  elbow. 

"I  am  merely  a  passenger,  but  you  drive,"  he  re- 
marked. "I  think,  Sutgrove,  under  the  circumstances, 
I  will  be  responsible  for  the  remainder  of  this  bottle.  It 
is  endowed  with  certain  qualities  which  particularly 
recommend  themselves  to  me.  It  would  be  a  sad  thing 
if  an  accident  were  to  befall  us  on  our  journey.  In  times 
of  stress  such  as  these  one  never  knows  when  the  War 
Office  may  not  require  the  services  of  a  capable  man." 

Though  the  Colonel  spoke  in  jest,  in  the  event  his 
words  indicate3  with  a  fair  amount  of  accuracy  the 
destination  of  the  port,  for  while  we  continued  to  discuss 
every  point  in  the  story,  he  sipped  and  sipped  and  nodded 


20  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

his  head  beatifically.  I  did  not  replenish  my  glass,  but 
when  we  rose  the  bottle  was  empty. 

"  Well,  Colonel,  what  do  you  say  to  a  music  hall  ?  * 
I  asked. 

"  My  boy,"  he  replied,  as  he  patted  me  on  the  back, 
"I  sleep  far  more  comfortably  in  my  bed." 

I  realized  where  the  contents  of  the  bottle  had  gone 
by  the  sententiousness  of  my  friend's  phrasing,  the  slight 
turgidity,  so  to  speak,  of  his  articulation. 

"  My  dear  boy,"  he  continued,  "  I  have  never  known 
you  until  this  moment.  You  are  greater  than  Columbus. 
Any  one  might  discover  a  new  continent,  but  in  these 
days  it  needs  exceptional  qualities  of  enterprise  and 
endurance  to  discover  a  fresh  restaurant.  I  am  content. 
Let  us  go  home." 

We  donned  our  overcoats  and  came  into  the  open 
air.  Winter's  motor  was  waiting  at  the  door  in  charge 
of  a  man  from  the  garage  where  he  had  left  it.  We 
stepped  in. 


CHAPTER  III 

WHEREIN    I    MEET   THE    PIRAT1 

WE  were  soon  out  of  the  narrow  Soho  street,  and  1 
observed  that  the  time  was  just  half-past  ten  as  Winter 
steered  us  carefully  through  Piccadilly  Circus.  Colonel 
Maitland  occupied  a  seat  behind  while  I  sat  beside 
Winter. 

The  car  my  friend  drove  was  a  magnificent  22-horsc 
Daimler,  built  to  his  own  specification  and  capable  of 
doing  considerably  more  than  any  car  I  had  hitherto 
been  privileged  to  ride  upon.  Of  course  while  passing 
through  the  streets  there  was  little  chance  of  exhibiting  its 
capabilities.  Yet  even  there,  the  way  the  car  glided  in 
and  out  of  the  traffic,  delicately  responsive  to  the  slightest 
touch  of  the  steering  wheel,  was  sufficient  evidence  of 
its  quality  to  set  the  most  nervous  passenger  at  ease.  As 
it  was  as  yet  too  early  for  the  after  theatre  traffic  to  fill 
the  streets  and  compel  us  to  stop  every  few  minutes,  we 
followed  the  main  road  up  Oxford  Street  as  far  as  the 
Marble  Arch.  There  we  turned  to  the  right.  Once 
clear  of  the  narrow  part  of  the  Edgeware  Road,  Winter 
put  on  his  second  speed  and  a  very  few  minutes  seemed 

•i 


22  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

to  have  passed  before  we  were  bumping  over  a  rough  bit 
of  roadway  by  Cricklewood. 

"There's  not  much  of  this,"  said  Winter,  cheerily 
over  his  shoulder  to  the  Colonel. 

Our  gastronomic  friend  merely  grunted  for  reply,  and 
I  should  have  thought  him  to  be  asleep  had  not  the  red 
glow  of  his  cigar  assured  me  that  he  was  still  awake. 

Winter  jammed  on  his  third  speed  and  the  hedges 
began  to  fly  past  us.  We  were  in  the  country  now  and 
were  able  to  appreciate  the  fineness  of  the  night.  Indeed 
it  was  a  perfect  night.  The  air  was  sharp  but  without 
sting.  The  moon  shone  with  a  clear  brilliance  which 
betokened  rain  in  the  near  future.  The  road  was  clean 
and  dry,  and  there  was  no  dust  in  the  air  except  the  thin 
cloud  which  floated  behind  us.  We  passed  the  Welsh 
Harp  without  a  check,  and  not  until  we  reached  Edgeware 
did  Winter  revert  to  his  second  speed.  We  ran  through 
the  little  town  with  only  momentary  slackening  of  pace, 
and  so  we  sped  onwards  until  we  opened  the  stretch  of 
road  leading  to  Brockley  Hill.  Here  Winter,  seeing  the 
road  clear  ahead,  jammed  on  his  highest  speed  and  the 
wheels  droned  like  a  hive  of  bees  as  we  darted  towards 
the  incline.  We  were  half  way  up  the  hill  before 
Winter  found  it  necessary  to  transform  his  speed  into 
power,  and  we  finished  the  ascent  with  ease.  Then 
once  more  the  order  was  third  speed,  and  we  whirled 
away  through  Elstree  and  passed  through  Radlett  a  bare 
half  hour  from  the  time  we  started. 

Just  at  this  time  I  looked  back  to  see  how  Colonel 


WHEREIN   I   MEET  THE  PIRATE    23 

Maitland  fared.  His  cigar  no  longer  glowed,  though  it 
was  still  tightly  held  between  his  teeth.  His  head  was 
bent  forward,  and  the  regular  and  gentle  murmur  which 
came  from  his  nose  proclaimed  that  he  slept.  I  had  just 
mentioned  the  fact  to  Winter,  and  had  turned  again  to 
assure  myself  that  he  was  comfortably  wrapped  in  his 
rug,  when  I  thought  I  saw  on  the  road  behind  me 
another  car. 

"  Hullo  ! M  I  said  to  Winter.  "  There's  another  chap 
coming  on  behind  us.  Without  lights,  too  ! " 

A  slight  bend  in  the  road  shut  out  the  view,  however, 
and  made  me  doubt  whether  or  no  my  eyes  had  been 
deceiving  me. 

44  Pooh  ! "  replied  Winter.  **  WeVe  passed  nothing 
on  the  road,  and  at  the  pace  we've  been  travelling  there's 
not  another  car  owned  in  this  district  we  should  not 
have  left  miles  behind  us,  even  if  it  had  started  at  the 
same  time  as  ourselves.  You  must  have  mistaken  some 
of  the  shadows  from  the  trees.  How  much  of  that  port 
did  you  drink  ? " 

I  laughed,  but  as  we  had  now  reached  a  straight 
stretch  of  road  I  looked  back  'again. 

"  Pm  right,*'  I  said.  "  There  is  another  car,  and  by 
jove  !  It's  coming  up  hand  over  fist." 

«  What  ? "  shouted  Winter.     «  What  ? " 

He  clearly  did  not  appreciate  the  idea  of  being  over- 
taken by  any  one,  for  he  whipped  on  his  highest  speed 
and  jammed  down  the  accelerator.  The  change  was 
enormous.  Our  powerful  car,  relieved  from  all  restraint, 


24  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

simply  leaped  through  the  air.  Winter  gave  a  pleased 
laugh  as  he  steadied  her  with  the  wheel. 

"  If  the  stranger  can  catch  us  now  I  shall  believe  it's 
the  Motor  Pirate  himself,"  he  remarked  in  a  pleased 
tone,  that  showed  how  proud  he  was  of  his  own  car. 

Our  progress  was  so  exhilarating  that  I  wanted  to 
shout  defiance  to  the  stranger ;  yet  I  was  so  fascinated 
with  the  pace  we  were  travelling,  that  I  could  not  take 
my  eyes  from  the  road  which  uncoiled  before  us. 

Suddenly  a  humming  sound  forced  itself  upon  my 
ear.  For  a  moment  I  thought  it  was  due  to  the  whirr 
of  our  own  wheels.  Then  it  struck  me  that  the  note 
was  a  higher  one.  I  half  turned.  The  other  car  was 
within  a  yard  or  two  of  us.  In  another  second  it  was 
level  and,  running  without  any  visible  vibration,  indeed, 
without  any  noise  save  the  snore  of  the  wheels  as  they 
raced  round,  the  stranger  slackened  speed  and  ran  by 
our  side. 

Winter  cast  a  hasty  glance  at  the  strange  car,  and 
I  saw  him  bite  his  lip  with  annoyance  at  finding  his 
Daimler  so  outpaced. 

One  glance  at  the  stranger  was  enough  to  tell  me 
with  whom  we  had  to  deal.  In  the  brilliant  moonlight, 
the  boat-shaped  car  with  its  sharp  prow,  the  almost 
invisible  wheels,  the  masked  occupant,  assured  me  that 
the  evening  papers  has  not  been  the  victims  of  a 
hoax. 

"It's  the  Motor  Pirate  himself,"  I  said  to  Winter, 
and  my  voice  was  hoarse  with  excitement. 


WHEREIN    I    MEET  THE   PIRATE    25 

"  Motor  Pirate  be  d d  I "  replied  Winter.  What 

more  he  would  have  said  I  do  not  know,  for  at  this 
moment  the  stranger  turning  his  mask  towards  us  called 
out  in  the  most  urbane  manner — 

"  I  must  trouble  you  gentlemen  to  stop  that  car.** 

Winter  at  the  best  of  times  is  of  rather  a  peppery 
disposition,  and  whenever  any  one  requires  him  to  pull 
up,  his  temper  invariably  gets  the  better  of  his  manners. 
His  reply  was  an  unnecessarily  verbose,  and  needlessly 
forcible  negative. 

I  heard  the  stranger  chuckle.  "  I  really  must  trouble 
you  to  obey  my  wishes,"  he  replied,  with  ironic  courtesy. 
"  Otherwise  I  shall  be  compelled  to  do  some  damage  to 
that  car  of  yours,  a  proceeding  I  always  try  to  avoid  if 
possible." 

"  Do  what  you  please,"  was  in  effect  Winter's  luridly 
adjectived  answer. 

"  If  you  do  not  pull  up  within  thirty  seconds  your 
fate  will  be  upon  your  own  heads,"  said  the  stranger, 
shortly,  as  he  laid  his  hand  upon  a  lever. 

His  car  leapt  away  from  ours,  and  though  we  were 
running  nearly  sixty  miles  an  hour,  we  might  have  been 
standing  still,  he  dropped  us  so  rapidly.  In  fifteen 
seconds  he  had  vanished  in  a  cloud  of  dust  ahead. 

"  I'm  going  to  stop,"  said  Winter,  abruptly.  He 
suited  the  action  to  the  word,  and  none  too  soon. 

Again  we  heard  the  curious  drone  of  the  strange  car 
as  it  swooped  down  upon  us,  coming  to  a  sudden  halt  a 
yard  distant,  with  really  beautiful  precision. 


26  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

**  What  do  you  want  ? "  shouted  Winter,  in  his 
gruffest  tones. 

**I'm  glad  to  find  you  have  had  the  wisdom  to  do  as 
I  desired  you,"  said  the  Motor  Pirate ;  for  it  was  indeed 
he  with  whom  we  were  now  face  to  face.  "  It  would 
have  deeply  grieved  me  to  wreck  so  good  a  car  as  that 
you  have  there.  A  Daimler,  I  believe  ? " 

"  Oh,  d n  your  compliments  !  What  is  it  you 

want  ?  '*  growled  Winter. 

**  Merely  any  articles  of  jewellery  and  any  money  you 
may  happen  to  have  about  you,"  remarked  the  stranger, 
pleasantly. 

I  saw  the  moonlight  glitter  on  the  barrel  of  a  re- 
volver as  he  spoke,  and  he  now  lifted  the  weapon  and 
pointed  it  towards  us. 

UI  do  not  wish  to  proceed  to  extremities,  and,  as  I 
gather  from  your  speech  that  I  am  dealing  with  gentle- 
men '* — really  Winter's  language  had  fully  warranted 
the  sarcasm — **  if  you  will  give  me  your  word  of  honour 
that  you  will  hand  over  to  me  all  articles  of  value  in 
your  possession,  I  will  leave  your  car  untouched.  If,  on 
the  contrary,  you  decline  to  oblige  me,  I  shall  be  under 
the  disagreeable  necessity  of  ruining  that  very  handsome 
car  you  are  driving.  I  do  not  like  to  hurry  you,  but  I 
am  afraid  I  must  ask  you  to  come  to  a  speedy  decision 
on  the  matter,  for  these  roads  in  the  vicinity  of  London 
are  not  quite  so  secluded  as  one  of  my  profession  could 
wish." 

He    delivered    this    speech   with    an    air   of    mock 


WHEREIN   I   MEET   THE   PIRATE     27 

politeness,  which  made  Winter  writhe.  He  did  not, 
however,  reply.  I  think  he  was  too  angry. 

"  Come,  gentlemen  !  Make  up  your  minds.  Your 
money  or  your — car  1 " 

He  made  a  slight  pause  before  he  said  the  word 
"car,"  and  his  fingers  played  with  the  revolver  in  a 
manner  that  sent  a  cold  shiver  down  my  spine. 

"  It's  his  turn  now,"  I  whispered  to  Winter.  "  It  may 
be  ours  presently." 

"  Come,  come,  gentlemen  ! "  said  the  stranger  again  ; 
**  do  you  give  me  your  words  ?  " 

"  D n  you  !  I  suppose  we  must,"  jerked  out 

Winter,  almost  inarticulate  with  rage. 

"Each  of  you  will  dismount  in  turn  and  lay  the 
contents  of  your  pockets  before  me  here."  He  indicated 
a  level  shelf,  which  formed  apparently  part  of  the  casing 
of  one  of  the  wheels.  "  I  must  insist  upon  seeing  the 
linings  of  your  pockets  j  and  I  need  hardly  warn  you  that 
it  will  be  extremely  undesirable  for  you  to  make  any 
movement  liable  to  misconstruction.  This  toy " — he 
lifted  his  pistol — "has  a  very  delicate  touch.  Now, 
gentlemen.  One  at  a  time,  please,  and  do  not  wait  to 
discuss  the  question  of  precedence.  I  am  quite  willing 
to  overlook  any  little  informality." 

I  listened  closely  to  his  speech,  but  the  voice  was  so 
muffled  by  the  mask  he  wore,  that  I  felt  I  should  be 
unable  to  recognize  it  again.  Only  one  point  I  was 
assured  upon — that  the  Pirate  was  an  educated  man. 

Meanwhile  what  were  we  to  do  ?     All  sorts  of  wild 


28  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

plans  were  darting  through  my  brain,  and  I  knew  that 
Winter's  mind  must  be  equally  active.  But  out  of  the 
medley  no  coherent  scheme  took  shape.  Winter  dis- 
mounted, and,  throwing  oflf  his  overcoat,  advanced  into 
the  brilliant  circle  of  light  cast  by  our  lamps,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  empty  his  pockets.  He  laid  his  note-case,  his 
watch  and  chain,  and  sovereign-purse  upon  the  car  in 
front  of  the  highwayman,  and,  in  obedience  to  a  further 
command,  added  the  diamond  which  shone  upon  his 
little  finger,  and  another  which  adorned  his  shirt-front, 
to  the  pile.  Then  he  resumed  his  place  in  the  car,  and 
I  passed  through  a  similar  humiliating  ordeal.  All  the 
while  the  stranger  kept  up  a  flow  of  apologies  for  the 
inconvenience  which  his  necessities  compelled  him  to 
occasion  us.  I  kept  silence,  though  I  must  confess  the 
effort  was  a  considerable  strain  upon  my  temper.  Still, 
a  pistol  with  a  business  man  at  the  butt  end  of  it,  is  of 
considerable  assistance  in  preventing  the  exhibition  of 
annoyance. 

**  If  the  other  gentleman  will  make  haste,  I  shall  be 
the  sooner  able  to  relieve  you  of  my  unwelcome  society," 
the  Pirate  remarked,  as  I  returned  to  our  car  after 
handing  over  all  the  valuables  in  my  possession. 

In  the  excitement,  I  had,  until  this  moment,  entirely 
forgotten  the  presence  of  Colonel  Maitland  ;  and  now, 
looking  closely  at  him,  I  discovered  that  he  was  still  in 
happy  ignorance  of  the  contretemps  which  had  befallen 
us.  Swathed  in  rugs,  he  was  propped  up  on  the  seat 
behind  us  slumbering  peacefully.  A  smile  was  upon  his 


WHEREIN   I   MEET  THE   PIRATE     29 

rosy  face,  and  ever  and  again  he  smacked  his  lips.  He 
must  have  been  dreaming  of  a  finer  vintage  than  ever 
terrestrial  vineyard  produced. 

"  What  the  deuce  can  we  do  ?  "  I  asked  Winter. 

"  Hullo,  Colonel  ! "  shouted  my  friend. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  inquired  the  Pirate.  "  Does 
your  friend  refuse  to  acknowledge  the  compact  ? " 

"I'm  afraid  he  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  a  party  to 
it,"  I  replied.  "  He  has  dined,  and  now  he  sleeps." 

"  Well,  you  will  awaken  him  less  roughly  than  I 
shall,"  was  the  retort. 

"Any  one  who  knows  Colonel  Maitland  is  aware 
that  he  is  exceedingly  annoyed  if  awakened  from  his 
after-dinner  nap,"  I  urged. 

"  Colonel  Maitland  ?  Colonel  Maitland  the 
gourmet  ?  " 

*'  You  know  him  ? "  said  Winter. 

The  Pirate  laughed  pleasantly.  "  I  have  met  him 
on  one  occasion,  and,  as  some  slight  return  for  a  very 
excellent  dinner  which  he  ordered,  and  for  which — doubt- 
less by  an  oversight — he  left  me  to  pay,  I  will  not  trouble 
you  to  awaken  him  on  this  occasion.  I  wish  you  good 
evening,  gentlemen." 

As  he  finished  speaking  he  backed  his  car  for  a  few 
yards.  His  hand  moved  to  a  lever.  The  car  turned. 
He  waved  the  hand  which  was  disengaged,  and  in  a 
moment  he  was  gone,  attaining  at  once  a  speed,  which, 
until  then  I  had  thought  it  impossible  for  a  motor-car 
ever  to  achieve. 


30  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

Both  Winter  and  I  sat  stock  still,  gazing  after  the 
fast  disappearing  car.  We  could  not  watch  it  for  long  ; 
as  in  fifteen  seconds  it  was  out  of  sight,  and  even  the 
dust-cloud  it  had  raised  in  its  progress  had  cleared. 

Then  Winter  turned  to  me  and  muttered  a  few 
expletives  gently  in  my  ear.  I  followed  his  example 
and  we  both  felt  better,  at  least  I  think  so ;  for,  without 
rhyme  or  reason,  Winter  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter, 
and  I  followed  his  example,  though  I  cannot  explain 
now,  any  more  than  I  could  have  done  then,  why  I 
laughed. 

When  we  had  done  laughing,  Winter  turned  to  me 
and  said — 

"Sutgrove,  old  fellow,  would  you  mind  punching 
me  ?  I'm  not  quite  sure  whether  it  is  the  Colonel  who 
is  asleep  or  myself.  I  feel  as  if  I  have  just  awakened 
from  dreaming  of  the  story  those  newspapers  printed." 

"  It's  not  much  of  a  dream,"  I  remarked.  "  I  little 
thought  that  we  were  to  have  the  good  fortune  of  so 
early  an  introduction  to  the  Motor  Pirate,  however.  The 
Colonel  will  be  quite  cross  to  think  that  his  bottle  of 
port  prevented  the  renewal  of  an  old  acquaintance." 

Then  Winter  laughed  again.  I  think  he  saw  the 
amusing  side  of  our  adventure  more  clearly  than  I  did, 
for  I  said  sharply — 

"  Hadn't  we  better  be  getting  on  to  St.  Albans,  and 
giving  information  to  the  police  ? " 

"  H — m — m  ! "  he  answered  meditatively.  "  I  think 
perhaps  we  had  better  not." 


WHEREIN   I    MEET  THE   PIRATE     31 

"  Not  ? "  I  replied  in  surprise. 

**  In  the  first  place  it  is  after  dinner,"  he  said. 

"  What  of  that  ?     We  dined  wisely.'* 

"  One  of  us  knows  nothing  about  it."  Winter  jerked 
his  thumb  in  the  direction  of  the  slumbering  warrior. 
"  We  could  hardly  explain  the  reason  why  the  Colonel 
slept  so  soundly  through  the  adventure.  The  explanation 
could  hardly  please  him,  would  it  f  ** 

I  muttered  an  assent. 

"Besides,'*  continued  Winter,  "for  three  of  us  to 
admit  that  we  tamely  allowed  ourselves  to  be  held  up 
by  one  man,  and  forced  to  hand  over  to  him  all  our 
valuables,  well  it — er — it  hardly  seems  heroic,  does  it  ? 
That  wouldn't  create  a  very  favourable  impression  upon 
Miss  Maitland  either." 

I  was  compelled  to  agree  with  him. 

"I  think  perhaps  we  had  best  keep  the  matter  to 
ourselves.  I  have  no  desire  to  provide  another  sensation 
for  the  evening  papers  to-morrow." 

"At  any  rate  I'm  not  going  to  sit  down  quietly 
under  my  loss  if  you  are,"  I  responded  irritably. 

"That's  another  matter  altogether,"  replied  Winter, 
as  he  set  our  car  in  motion  once  more.  "  I  did  not  say 
that  I  was  going  to  grin  and  bear  it  either." 

"  What  do  you  propose  ?  *'  I  cried  eagerly. 

"That  is  a  question  we  will  discuss  over  a  whisky 
and  soda,  when  we  have  deposited  the  Colonel  safely  at 
home ; "  and  he  refused  to  say  anything  further. 

Our  car  was  once  more  put  at  full  speed,  and  in  five 


32  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

minutes  we  reached  the  cross-roads  on  the  outskirts  of 
St.  Albans,  where  the  road  to  Watford  makes  a  junction 
with  that  on  which  we  had  come  from  town.  Here 
Winter  pulled  up,  and,  much  to  my  surprise,  dismounted 
and  made  a  careful  examination  of  the  road  by  the  light 
of  our  lamps. 

"I  just  want  to  see  in  which  direction  the  fellow 
went,"  he  answered,  in  reply  to  my  inquiry  as  to  the 
meaning  of  his  action. 

He  was  still  engaged  on  the  task  when  we  heard  in 
the  distance  the  regular  beat  of  a  petrol  motor  approaching 
us  on  the  Watford  road. 

"  If  it's  another  pirate,  he  won't  get  much  plunder," 
I  remarked. 

"That's  no  pirate,"  replied  Winter,  as  a  couple  of 
lights  came  into  view.  "Cannot  you  recognize  the 
rattle  of  Mannering's  old  car?  I  should  know  it  any- 
where. He  will  be  able  to  tell  us  if  any  one  has  passed 
him  on  the  road." 

As  soon  as  the  new-comer  came  within  range  of  his 
voice,  Winter  hailed  him. 

"  That  you,  Mannering  ? " 

**  Hullo,  Winter  !  Got  a  puncture  ?  Can  I  be  of 
any  assistance  ? " 

Was  it  indeed  Mannering's  voice,  or  were  my  ears 
deceiving  me  ?  The  intonation  was  remarkably  like 
that  of  the  stranger,  who  so  short  a  time  previously  had 
bade  us  stand  and  deliver,  that  I  sprang  to  my  feet  with 
an  exclamation  of  astonishment.  My  eyes  at  once 


WHEREIN   I    MEET  THE   PIRATE     33 

convinced  me  that  my  ears  had  played  me  false.  There 
was  no  mistaking  Mannering's  lumbering  old  car  for  the 
graceful  shape  of  the  Motor  Pirate's  vehicle.  I  resumed 
my  seat,  taking  my  nerves  seriously  to  task  for  generating 
the  suspicion,  if  suspicion  it  could  be  called,  which  had 
flashed  across  my  mind.  If  anything  further  had  been 
needed  to  dispel  it,  the  reply  vouchsafed  to  Winter's 
query  as  to  whether  he  had  met  any  one  on  the  road 
would  have  done  so. 

"  Met  any  one  ? "  said  Mannering  ;  **  I  should  think 
I  have.  Met  the  most  wonderful  motor  I've  ever  seen, 
about  a  couple  of  miles  back.  Ton  my  soul,  I'm  not 
sure  even  now  whether  it  was  not  a  big  night  bird,  for 
it  just  swooped  by  me  with  about  as  much  noise  as  a 
humming-top  might  make.  It  must  have  been  travelling 
eighty  miles  an  hour  at  least.  Reckless  sort  of  devil  the 
driver  must  be  too.  He  hadn't  a  single  light.  I  suppose 
his  lamps  must  have  been  put  out  by  the  rapidity  with 
which  he  was  travelling.  Never  had  such  a  scare  in  my 
life.  I'd  like  to  meet  the  Johnny.  I'd  welcome  an  oppor- 
tunity of  telling  him  what  I  thought  of  his  conduct." 

"  So  should  I,"  replied  Winter,  grimly ;  "  and  I  fancy 
Sutgrove  would  not  be  averse  to  a  meeting  with  him." 

"  Why,  what  has  he  been  doing  ? "  asked  Mannering. 

'*  It's  too  long  a  story  to  tell  you  now,"  said  Winter, 
as  he  climbed  back  into  his  seat ;  "  but  if  you  will  come 
up  to  my  place  as  soon  as  you  have  put  your  car  to  bed, 
I'll  tell  you  all  about  it." 

**  Right  1 "  sang  out  Mannering,  as  we  once  more 


34  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

set  out  upon  our  homeward  way.  We  had  not  much 
further  to  go.  In  two  minutes  we  had  pulled  up  at 
Colonel  Maitland's  door. 

I  leaned  back  and  shouted,  "  Here  we  are,  Colonel," 
in  the  slumbering  warrior's  ear. 

"  Eh  !  What — what  ? "  he  replied,  as  he  awakened 
with  a  start.  "  When  are  we  going  to  start  ? " 

"  Start  ?  Why  we've  brought  you  safely  home  to 
your  own  threshold,"  said  Winter. 

"  'Pon  my  soul !  I  remember  now,*'  he  answered. 
**I  just  shut  my  eyes  to  keep  the  dust  out  of  'em, 

and You  will  come  in  for  a  peg,  of  course,"  he 

continued,  as  he  emerged  from  the  rugs  in  which  he  had 
been  enveloped. 

I  glanced  at  the  windows.  There  was  only  a  light 
in  the  Colonel's  study.  If  there  had  been  another  in 
the  drawing-room,  I  should  have  accepted  forthwith.  As 
it  was,  I  merely  said  that  I  could  not  think  of  disturbing 
Miss  Maitland. 

"  Pooh  ! "  said  the  Colonel,  with  the  usual  callous 
disregard  of  the  mere  father  for  his  children's  beauty 
sleep. 

But  he  did  not  press  the  invitation.  Indeed  it  was 
with  difficulty  he  succeeded  in  repressing  a  yawn. 

"I'll  call  to-morrow,  and  get  a  considered  opinion 
upon  my  Soho  house  of  entertainment,"  I  remarked,  as 
the  Colonel  opened  his  door,  and  paused  at  the  entrance 
to  bid  us  a  final  good  night. 

"Glad  to  see  you,"  he  replied,  as  he  grasped  my 


WHEREIN   I   MEET  THE   PIRATE     35 

hand  and  shook  it  warmly.  "But  of  one  thing  you 
may  rest  assured.  So  long  as  that  bin  of  port  holds  out, 
your  house  of  entertainment  may  count  upon  me  as  a 
regular  customer  whenever  I  dine  in  town." 

"Opium  isn't  in  it,*'  commented  Winter  in  a  low 
voice,  as  he  set  the  car  in  motion  and  wheeled  out  of  the 
drive.  "  How  he  could  have  slept  so  soundly  through  it 
all  absolutely  beats  me." 

I  did  not  reply.  My  attention  was  concentrated 
upon  one  of  the  upper  windows,  at  which  I  thought  1 
had  seen  a  form  I  knew  very  well  make  a  brief  appear- 
ance. But  we  left  the  window  and  house  behind  us. 
Winter's  place  was  only  about  a  hundred  yards  further 
up  the  road. 


CHAPTER   IV 

CONCERNING    MY    RIVAL 

'*  Now,  Jim,  dip  your  beak  into  that,  and  let  me  see  if  it 
will  not  restore  to  your  classic  features  their  customary 
repose." 

So  saying,  Winter  handed  me  a  stately  tumbler,  and 
the  mixture  was  so  much  to  my  liking  that  I  felt  an 
involuntary  relaxation  of  rxiy  facial  muscles  immediately  I 
obeyed  the  command.  I  stretched  myself  at  length  in 
the  easy  chair  which  I  had  drawn  up  before  the  fire,  and 
felt  able  to  forgive  even  the  Motor  Pirate.  We 
were  alone  in  the  apartment  which  Winter  called  his 
study,  but  since  the  only  books  he  read  therein  were 
motor-catalogues,  and  the  lounges  with  which  the 
snuggery  was  furnished  were  much  more  conducive  to 
repose  than  to  mental  exertion,  I  refused  to  acknowledge 
its  claim  to  the  title.  That,  by  the  way.  The  fire  was 
burning  brightly.  Winter's  red,  rugged,  honest  face  was 
beaming  with  almost  equal  radiance.  Who  could  help 
feeling  happy  ? 

Then  Mannering  was  announced,  and  Mannering  was 
a  man  I  had  learned  to  passively  dislike.  Why,  I  scarcely 


CONCERNING   MY   RIVAL          37 

knew.  I  was  aware  of  nothing  against  him.  Indeed, 
when  six  months  previously,  on  my  first  coming  to  St. 
Albans,  I  had  been  introduced  to  him,  I  had  been  rather 
favourably  impressed.  He  was  a  tall  dark  man  of  thirty- 
five,  with  more  than  the  average  endowment  of  good 
looks.  He  could  tell  a  good  story,  had  shot  big  game  in 
most  parts  of  the  world,  was  well-read,  intelligent, 

possessed  unexceptionable  manners,  and  yet Well, 

Winter  had  none  of  his  various  qualifications,  but  I 
would  at  any  time  far  rather  have  had  one  friend  like 
Winter  than  a  hundred  like  the  other  man. 

I  had  first  made  his  acquaintance  at  Colonel  Maitland's 
house,  where  I  had  found  him  on  an  apparently  intimate 
footing.  Perhaps  it  was  this  very  intimacy  which  formed 
the  basis  for  my  dislike,  for — there  is  no  need  to  mince 
matters — at  this  time  I  was  jealous,  horribly  and  un- 
reasonably jealous,  of  every  male  person  who  entered  the 
Colonel's  house.  And  here,  perhaps,  it  will  be  better 
for  me  to  explain  how  it  happened  that  I  came  to  be 
living  in  a  cottage  on  the  outskirts  of  St.  Albans  in 
preference  to  my  own  house  in  Norfolk. 

The  change  in  my  residence  had  been  entirely  due  to 
a  tennis  party  at  Cromer.  There  I  met  Evie  Maitland. 

She  was No,  every  one  can  fill  in  the  blank  from 

their  own  experience  for  themselves ;  and  if  they  cannot, 
I  pity  them. 

Fortunately  I  had  an  aunt  present.  She  was  the  most 
amiable  of  aunts,  and  quite  devoted  towards  her  most 
dutiful  nephew.  With  her  assistance,  I  managed  not 


38  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

only  to  improve  my  acquaintance  with  Miss  Maitland, 
but  also  to  effect  an  introduction  to  her  father.  I  had 
only  known  them  a  week,  however,  before  the  Colonel 
took  his  daughter  back  to  St.  Albans.  I  allowed  an 
interval  of  a  fortnight  to  elapse,  and  then  I  followed.  Of 
course  I  had  to  be  prepared  with  some  excuse,  and  here 
luck  favoured  me.  Looking  through  the  directory  I 
discovered  that  Winter,  whom  I  knew  slightly  as  baring 
been  up  at  Camford  about  the  same  time  as  myself,  wms 
also  a  resident  in  the  delightful  St.  Alban's  suburb  of 
St.  Stephens  where  the  Maitlands  resided.  I  sought 
out  Winter.  I  confided  my  story  to  him.  The  upshot 
of  it  all  was  that  I  took  a  cottage  close  to  his  house,  and 
not  far  from  the  Colonel's,  ostensibly  that  under  Winter's 
tuition  I  might  develop  into  a  first-class  motorist. 

Somehow  I  found  that  I  made  a  great  deal  more 
progress  with  my  motoring  than  with  my  love-making. 
Surely  a  more  bewitching,  tantalizing,  provoking  little 
beauty  than  Evie  Maitland  never  tore  a  man's  heart  to 
fragments.  If  she  was  kind  to  me  one  day,  she  would  be 
still  kinder  to  Mannering  the  next.  But  that  is  neither 
here  nor  there.  Anyhow,  I  heartily  wished  him  out  of 
the  way,  for  there  was  no  doubt  whatever  that  Randolph 
Mannering  was  a  much  more  attractive  person  than  my 
insignificant  self.  His  mere  advantage  in  age  counted 
for  something ;  but  I  could  have  forgiven  him  that,  had 
he  not  made  use  of  the  years  to  see  so  much  and  do  so 
much,  that  he  could  not  help  appearing  in  the  light  of  a 
hero  to  a  girl  who  was  just  at  the  worshipping  age. 


CONCERNING   MY   RIVAL          39 

And  he  knew  so  well  how  to  get  the  fullest  value  out  of 
his  experiences.  He  never  paraded  them,  I  must  admit 
that  much  in  his  favour.  He  was  far  too  clever.  An 
anecdote  here  and  there  to  illustrate  some  point  in 
the  conversation,  a  modest  account  of  some  thrilling 
adventure,  in  which  he  hardly  ever  mentioned  the  part 
he  had  personally  played,  produced  a  much  greater  effect 
than  if  he  had  gone  about  trumpeting  the  deeds  he  had 
done  and  the  dangers  he  had  survived. 

He  had,  too,  the  advantage  of  a  much  longer  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Maitlands  than  myself.  I  learned  from 
the  Colonel  that  Mannering  had  been  living  in  a  house 
whose  garden  adjoined  his  own  for  a  year  before  my 
arrival  on  the  scene.  His  life,  until  the  Colonel  had 
recognized  him  as  an  acquaintance  he  had  made  at  the 
house  of  a  friend  some  years  before,  had  been  that  of 
a  recluse,  the  object  of  his  retirement  being  to  perfect 
some  mechanical  invention  upon  which  he  was  engaged. 
He  had  soon  developed  into  a  friend  of  the  family,  and 
I  had  found  him  firmly  installed  as  such  when  I  made 
my  appearance  at  St.  Albans. 

Naturally  then  I  was  none  too  pleased  that  Winter 
had  proposed  to  take  him  into  our  confidence,  but  I 
made  no  absolute  objection. 

I  sat  smoking  quietly  while  Winter  told  the  story  of 
our  adventure.  He  listened  most  attentively. 

"  It's  a  most  extraordinary  story,"  he  remarked,  when 
the  narrative  was  concluded.  "You  are  quite  sure 
neither  of  you  touched  any  of  that  port  ? " 


40  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

Winter  turned  one  of  his  pockets  inside  out  with  an 
expressive  gesture. 

"  Wine  may  rob  a  man  of  his  wits,"  he  replied,  "  but 
it  does  not  relieve  him  of  fifty  pounds  in  notes,  six  in 
gold,  a  watch  and  chain  worth  fifty,  and  a  diamond 
which  has  been  valued  at  a  hundred.'* 

"The  numbers  of  the  notes  should  enable  you  to 
trace  the  thief,"  said  Mannering,  thoughtfully. 

Winter  laughed.  "  The  fact  is,  I  am  such  a  careless 
beggar.  I  always  carry  notes  about  with  me,  replenish- 
ing my  case  when  necessary  ;  and  really  I  have  nothing 
to  tell  me  whether  those  notes  I  had  in  my  possession 
were  the  last  batch  I  had  from  the  bank,  or  odd  ones 
left  over  from  previous  consignments.  They  may  have 
been  in  my  case  for  months." 

"Both  Winter  and  I  could  identify  our  watches," 
I  hazarded. 

"Of  course,"  replied  Mannering,  "if  your  Motor 
Pirate  is  fool  enough  to  attempt  to  pawn  them  you  may 
get  the  chance ;  but  if  he  sells  them  to  a  receiver,  they'll 
go  straight  into  the  melting  pot." 

Winter  lit  a  cigarette  and  Mannering  turned  to  me. 
"  What  was  the  extent  of  your  loss  ? " 

"  Ten  in  gold,  thirty  in  notes,  and  say  thirty  for  my 
watch.  My  loss  is  comparatively  light." 

"  You  know  the  numbers  of  your  notes,  I  suppose  ? " 
he  inquired,  as  he  lit  a  cigarette  in  turn. 

"  Yes,"  I  replied,  "  I'm  not  quite  so  casual  as 
Winter." 


CONCERNING   MY  RIVAL          41 

"There's  some  clue  for  the  police  to  work  upon, 
then." 

"It  might  prove  to  be  so,  only  Winter  thinks  we 
show  up  so  badly  in  the  whole  affair  that  he  won't  hear 
of  my  giving  information." 

"  The  fact  is,"  said  Winter,  "  Maitland  slept  soundly 
through  the  whole  affair,  and  it  wouldn't  be  sporting  to 
give  him  away." 

"I  see "  began  Mann«ring. 

Winter  deftly  changed  the  subject.  "  What  puzzles 
me,"  he  said,  "  is  the  kind  of  motor  the  fellow  employed 
to  propel  his  car.  I  know  of  nothing  at  present  on  the 
market  anything  like  so  effective.  I've  seen  'em  all." 

"Your  loss  doesn't  seem  to  trouble  you  much, 
anyhow,"  commented  Mannenng. 

"I  would  willingly  give  a  hundred  times  as  much 
for  a  duplicate  of  that  motor.  I  should  be  pretty  sure 
to  get  my  money  back  once  I  put  it  on  the  market." 

"  If  there's  all  that  value  in  it,  why  should  the  owner 
go  in  for  highway  robbery  ? "  I  asked. 

"  That's  just  what  I  fail  to  understand,"  said  Winter. 
"  From  what  I  could  see  of  it,  our  friend  the  Motor 
Pirate  is  possessed  of  an  ideal  car,  graceful  in  shape, 
making  no  noise,  running  with  a  minimum  of  vibration 
and  a  maximum  of  speed.  Why,  there's  a  fortune  in  it." 

"Of  course  it  is  quite  impossible  that  the  motive 
power  can  be  electricity  ? "  remarked  Mannering,  gazing 
into  the  fire  as  if  he  could  see  a  solution  of  the  mystery 
therein. 


4a  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

*  Quite  out  of  the  question.  Anjr  one  who  has  the 
slightest  knowledge  of  motoring  would  know  it  to  be 
impossible,  even  if  the  Pirate  had  devised  a  storage 
battery  which  would  knock  Edison's  latest  invention 
into  a  cocked  hat.  But  supposing  he  had  achieved  the 
feat,  remember  that,  according  to  the  newspaper  reports, 
he  was  at  Plymouth  yesterday  at  dusk,  near  Salisbury 
at  eleven  the  same  evening,  and  holding  us  up  on  the 
confines  of  St.  Albans  to  night.  He  would  be  bound  to 
get  his  batteries  recharged  somewhere  and,  with  a  car  of 
such  remarkable  shape,  how  is  he  to  do  so  without 
exciting  remark  ?  No ;  electricity  is  quite  out  ot  the 
question.  I  should  be  glad  to  think  that  the  car  was 
an  electric  one.  His  capture  would  only  be  a  matter  of 
a  few  hours." 

An  indefinable  expression,  which  might  have  been  a 
smile,  flitted  across  Mannering's  face. 

**  I  hope,  for  all  our  sakes,  his  motor  is  an  electric 
one,"  he  said.  "  At  all  events  it  should  not  be  difficult 
to  track  a  car  of  so  singular  a  shape.  If  it  were  built  on 
the  same  lines  as  yours  or  mine,  for  instance,  the  owner 
might  go  anywhere  without  attracting  attention." 

"Anyhow,"  I  broke  in,  "until  he  is  captured  I'm 
going  for  a  run  every  night  with  something  that  will 
shoot  within  easy  reach.  The  next  time  I  have  the 
fortune  to  meet  with  him  I  hope  I  shall  be  in  a  position 
to  get  a  bit  of  my  own  back." 

Again  a  smile  appeared  on  Manucring's  face  as  he 
exclaimed,  "  I  almost  feel  inclined  to  follow  your  example. 


CONCERNING   MY   RIVAL          43 

I  have  nearly  forgotten  how  to  use  a  pistol  since  I  have 
resided  in  this  law-ridden  land." 

"  Surely  you  won't  expose  your  experimental  car  to 
the  chance  of  being  rammed  by  the  Motor  Pirate," 
remarked  Winter,  chaffingly. 

Mannering's  car  was  a  stock  joke  with  us.  It  was  a 
particularly  cumbersome  vehicle,  with  heaven  only  knows 
what  type  of  body.  It  might  have  been  capable  of 
twenty  miles  an  hour  on  the  flat,  but  that  would  be  the 
extreme  limit  of  its  powers.  "You  fellows,"  he  had 
explained  to  us  one  day,  "  have  taken  to  motoring  for 
the  fun  of  flying  along  the  high-roads  at  an  illegal  speed. 
1  have  taken  to  it  for  a  more  utilitarian  purpose.  I  have 
my  own  ideas  about  the  motor  of  the  future,  and  I  am 
working  them  out  down  here.  My  old  caravan  is  heavy, 
perhaps,  but  I  want  a  heavy  car.  It's  most  useful  for 
testing  tyres,  and  that  is  one  of  the  special  points  engaging 
my  attention.  Besides,  in  this  car  I  am  not  tempted  to 
get  into  trouble  with  the  police.  Twelve  miles  an  hour 
is  quite  fast  enough  for  all  my  purposes." 

Both  Winter  and  myself  had  frequently  asked  him 
how  he  was  progressing  with  his  work,  but  as  he  had 
never  returned  us  any  but  the  vaguest  of  answers,  nor 
ever  invited  us  into  the  workshop  which  had  once  formed 
the  stables  of  the  house  where  he  resided,  we  had  thought 
that  his  story  of  being  engaged  in  mechanical  invention 
merely  an  excuse  for  getting  rid  of  unpleasant  visitors. 
I  think  we  were  both  surprised  when  he  answered 
Winter's  chaff  quite  warmly. 


44  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

"I  should  not  at  all  mind  exposing  my  car  to  any 
risk  if  I  could  get  the  opportunity  to  examine  the  Motor 
Pirate's  car.  If  the  truth  must  be  told,  from  what 
I  have  seen  of  his  car,  and  what  you  have  told  me,  I  am 
rather  inclined  to  think  that  whoever  designed  it  has 
forestalled  me  in  an  idea  which  I  had  thought  quite  my 
own.  I  have  long  been  working  to  produce  a  car  which 
would  run  at  least  a  hundred  miles  an  hour  without 
noise  or  perceptible  vibration.'* 

"  Couldn't  you  get  it  completed  in  a  week  ? "  inter- 
rupted Winter.  "  We  might  have  a  most  exciting  chase 
after  our  friend." 

Mannering  shook  his  head.  "I've  been  absolutely 
floored  on  one  detail,  and  if  that  fellow  has  solved  the 

problem "  Shrugging  his  shoulders,  he  rose  and 

held  out  his  hand  to  Winter.  I  followed  his  example. 

"  I  had  no  idea  that  you  had  anything  so  importan  t 
on  the  stocks,"  remarked  Winter,  as  he  accompanied  us 
to  the  door. 

"Nor  would  you  have  done  so  until  you  saw  the 
perfect  machine  on  the  road,  if  it  had  not  been  for  my 
chagrin  at  seeing  that  car  to-night.  Of  course  I  can 
count  upon  you  both  to  say  nothing  of  the  matter." 

"  On  condition  that  you  do  not  refer  to  our  adventure 
again,"  said  I,  laughing. 

"Agreed,"  responded  Mannering,  as  he  smiled 
again. 

We  both  said  good  night  to  Winter,  and  in  spite  of 
our  host's  efforts  to  persuade  us  to  stay  for  another  peg,  I 


CONCERNING   MY   RIVAL          45 

followed  Mannering  out,  declaring  that  I  should  never 
be  able  to  face  Mrs.  Winter  again  if  I  kept  him  up  any 
longer. 

I  found  Mannering  standing  at  the  gate,  and  I  paused 
beside  him  to  glance  at  the  sky,  across  which  one  or  two 
fleecy  clouds  were  hurrying  from  the  west.  The  moon, 
brilliant  as  earlier  in  the  evening,  now  hung  low  down 
over  the  horizon.  The  breeze  had  freshened,  and  we 
could  hear  it  whispering  amongst  the  trees. 

"  We  shall  not  be  long  without  rain.  If  the  Pirate 
is  still  abroad  he  will  leave  tracks,"  said  Mannering. 

The  beauty  of  the  night  held  so  much  of  appeal  to 
me  that  I  felt  annoyed  at  the  current  of  my  thoughts 
being  turned  back  to  the  topic. 

I  answered  shortly.  My  companion  took  no  notice 
of  my  petulance. 

"  You  have  always  thought  I  cared  nothing  for 
speed,"  he  remarked,  "  but  you  were  mistaken.  I  thought 
I  would  keep  my  desires  in  the  background  until  I  had 
succeeded  in  perfecting  a  car  which  I  knew  it  would  be 
impossible  to  outpace.  I  could  not  enter  into  competition 
with  longer  purses  than  my  own,  and  if  I  had  bought  the 
fastest  car  in  the  market  somebody  else  would  have 

bought  one  faster.  But  to-night By  Jove  !  How  I 

envy  that  Motor  Pirate.  Imagine  what  the  possession  of 
that  car  means  on  a  night  like  this,  with  the  roads  clear 
from  John-o'-Groat's  to  Land's  End.  Fancy  flying 
onwards  at  a  speed  none  have  ever  attempted.  Can  you 
not  see  the  road  unwinding  before  you  like  •  reel  of 


46  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

white  ribbon,  hear  the  sweet  musical  drone  of  the  wheels 
in  your  ears "  He  stopped  abruptly. 

He  must  have  observed  my  natural  amazement  at  the 
intensity  of  feeling  which  his  speech  displayed,  for  he 
observed  in  a  lighter  tone — 

"Not  being  Motor  Pirates,  however,  the  next  best 
thing  is,  I  suppose,  to  go  to  bed  and  dream  that  we  are.*' 
He  turned  on  his  heel  and  strode  away  in  one  direction, 
while  I  went  in  the  direction  of  my  own  home.  But  I 
was  in  no  hurry  to  get  there.  The  night  was  too 
delightful. 

In  the  few  hours  which  had  elapsed  since  we  had  sat 
down  to  dine,  a  change  had  come  over  the  face  of  the 
land.  I  could  feel  the  presence  of  Spring  in  the  air,  and 
all  the  youth  in  me  awoke.  The  creatures  of  the  earth 
felt  it  too.  In  the  silence  of  the  night  I  could  hear  the 
crackle  of  the  buds  as  they  cast  off  their  winter  coverings, 
hear  the  whisper  of  the  grass,  which  the  countryman 
declares  is  the  sound  of  growing  blades,  hear  the  murmur 
of  all  animate  things  as  they  rose  to  welcome  the  Spring- 
tide. My  own  heart  leapt  up  with  a  renewal  of  hope. 
I  stood  awhile  outside  Colonel  Maitland's  door,  and 
breathed  a  prayer  that  it  might  be  my  fortune  to  protect 
the  fair  inmate  of  the  house  from  all  harm  through 
life.  I  strolled  slowly  to  my  own  door,  but  I  did  not 
enter.  Moonbeams  beget  love-dreams  when  one  is  still 
in  the  twenties. 

Back  again  to  the  Colonel's  house,  back  once  more 
to  my  own.  In  all  probability  I  should  have  continued 


CONCERNING   MY   RIVAL          47 

my  solitary  sentry-go  and  my  reverie  until  daybreak, 
had  not  my  thoughts  been  sharply  recalled  to  earth. 
On  reaching  my  own  doorway  for  the  fifth  or  sixth 
time  I  had  just  turned,  when  I  saw  a  black  shadow 
on  the  road  opposite  the  Maitlands'  house.  One  glance 
was  enough ;  it  was  the  Motor  Pirate  again,  and  I 
began  to  count.  "One — two — ,"  the  car  passed  me, 
"three — four;"  it  had  vanished  round  a  turning  of 
the  road  in  the  direction  of  St.  Albans. 

Even  what  I  had  already  experienced  of  the  Pirate 
had  not  prepared  me  for  such  an  exhibition  as  this. 
What  Mannering  had  said  about  the  delight  of  flying 
along  an  open  road  at  a  hundred  miles  an  hour  recurred 
to  me.  I  had  not  deemed  it  possible.  But  I  paced 
the  distance  between  the  Colonel's  house  arid  the  bend 
where  the  strange  car  had  passed  out  of  sight.  The 
distance  was  just  about  two  hundred  yards,  and  it  had 
been  covered  as  near  as  possible  in  four  seconds.  The 
car  must  have  been  travelling  just  about  a  hundred 
miles  an  hour. 

I  went  straight  indoors  to  bed.  I  am  not  ashamed 
to  confess  that  I  was  not  able  to  continue  my  dreams 
in  comfort,  while  pacing  the  road,  by  the  consideration 
of  what  would  have  happened  to  me  had  the  Motor 
Pirate  come  along  just  two  seconds  before  I  happened 
to  turn  and  see  him. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   COLONEL    DREAMS,    AND   I   AWAKEN 

I  SLEPT  until  late  the  next  morning.  I  have  always 
been  accustomed  to  a  clear  eight  hours'  sleep,  and,  as  I 
did  not  get  between  the  sheets  until  about  four  in  the 
morning,  I  naturally  did  not  awaken  until  mid-day.  So 
what  with  my  tub  and  the  necessity  for  shaving,  my  early 
morning  call  upon  the  Colonel  did  not  come  off.  I 
suppose,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  I  sat  down  to  breakfast  just 
about  the  time  when  the  gastronomic  warrior  was 
thinking  of  luncheon.  However,  when  I  saw  how 
amply  my  expectation  of  a  change  in  the  weather  had 
been  fulfilled,  I  did  not  regret  my  lengthy  sleep.  From 
a  sodden  grey  sky  sheets  of  water  were  steadily  pouring. 
There  was  not  the  slightest  chance  of  any  break  in  the 
clouds.  Consequently  I  felt  assured  of  finding  Miss 
Maitland  at  home  if  I  made  my  call  in  the  afternoon,  and 
since  her  father  oftentimes  thought  it  expedient  to  take 
a  little  repose  after  luncheon  in  order  to  prepare  himself 
for  the  fatigue  of  dining,  it  was  possible  that  I  might 
even  be  fortunate  enough  to  secure  a  tete-h-tett  with 
her. 

48 


THE   COLONEL   DREAMS          49 

I  came  to  my  breakfast,  therefore,  with  as  good  a  spirit 
as  appetite,  neither  being  in  the  slightest  degree  affected 
by  the  memory  of  the  easy  way  in  which  I  had  been 
plundered  by  the  Motor  Pirate.  Of  course  I  felt  a 
certain  chagrin.  Still,  I  could  contemplate  the  adventure 
with  a  considerable  deal  more  equanimity  than  I  had 
managed  to  display  the  night  before,  though  I  found 
that  my  curiosity  concerning  him  had,  if  anything, 
increased.  I  turned  with  eagerness  to  the  morning 
papers  to  see  whether  they  could  add  to  my  know- 
ledge concerning  him. 

As  every  one  is  aware,  all  the  papers  on  the  morning 
of  the  first  of  April  that  year  devoted  columns  to  his 
exploits.  If  I  remember  aright,  the  country  was  at  that 
time  engaged  upon  two  of  our  usual  minor  wars,  Parlia- 
ment was  in  the  midst  of  an  important  debate  upon  the 
second  reading  of  a  measure  to  secure  an  extension  of 
the  franchise,  and  a  divorce  case  of  more  than  common 
interest  was  engaging  the  attention  of  the  leading  legal 
lights  of  the  law  courts.  But  all  these  things  received 
but  the  scantiest  notice.  The  war  news  was  relegated  to 
the  inside  pages,  the  Parliamentary  intelligence  cut  down 
to  the  barest  summary,  the  cause  c'eUbre  dismissed  with 
such  a  paragraph  as  ordinarily  serves  to  chronicle  an 
unimportant  police  court  case.  The  Motor  Pirate  had 
nearly  a  monopoly  of  the  space  at  the  editorial  disposal. 
There  was  column  after  column  about  him.  The 
Plymouth  robbery  was  reported  in  as  great  detail  as  the 
Compton  Chamberlain  affair,  while  there  were  particulars 


50  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

of  two  similar  outrages  committed  at  points  between 
these  two  places. 

On  running  my  eye  over  the  reports  I  saw  that  they 
added  nothing  to  what  I  already  knew,  and  I  wasted  no 
time  in  reading  the  leaders  on  the  subject.  I  was,  how- 
ever, extremely  interested  to  find  from  one  paper  that 
Winter  and  I  had  not  been  the  only  victims  of  the 
scoundrel's  rapacity  on  the  previous  evening,  for  a  brief 
telegram  reported  a  similar  occurrence  a  few  miles  from 
Oxford  on  the  London  road.  I  at  once  sent  my  man 
to  purchase  any  of  the  early  editions  of  the  evening 
papers  which  might  have  reached  St.  Albans,  in  the 
hope  that  they  might  contain  further  particulars  of  these 
operations. 

I  had  finished  my  breakfast,  and  was  enjoying  a 
cigarette  in  my  library,  when  he  returned.  I  took 
the  papers  from  him,  and  the  first  glance  at  one  of 
them  made  me  gasp  with  amazement.  The  news 
which  startled  me  was  all  in  one  line — "Five  more 
cars  held  up  by  the  Motor  Pirate." 

I  am  not  going  into  details  concerning  these.  If 
you  have  a  desire  to  refresh  your  memory  all  you  have 
to  do  is  to  turn  to  any  newspaper  of  the  date  I  have 
named  and  you  will  be  able  to  get  them  ad  nauseam. 
But  I  will  venture  to  give  a  list  of  the  places  where  and 
the  times  at  which  the  outrages  took  place,  for  I  made 
a  list  of  them  in  the  hope  that,  by  carefully  studying  it 
with  the  map,  I  might  get  some  idea  as  to  where  he 
might  next  ^  expected  to  make  his  appearance. 


THE  COLONEL  DREAMS          51 

I  found  that  at  five  minutes  past  nine  he  stopped 
a  car  some  four  miles  from  Oxford.  Twenty  minutes 
later  he  was  robbing  a  lonely  motorist  midway  between 
Thamc  and  Aylesbury.  Then  for  forty  minutes  he 
appeared  to  have  been  idle,  his  next  two  exploits  taking 
place  within  five  minutes  of  each  other,  just  after  ten, 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Amersham.  King's  Langley 
was  the  scene  of  his  next  adventure,  the  time  given 
being  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  he  had  overtaken 
us.  In  addition  to  the  particulars  of  these  robberies 
there  were  a  host  of  reports  from  people  who  had  seen 
the  Pirate  car  pass  them  on  the  road.  But  there  was  one 
notable  omission  from  the  latter  list.  Not  from  a  single 
town  was  there  any  record  of  the  Pirate  having  been 
seen  passing  through  it. 

I  got  a  map  of  the  district,  and,  after  studying  the 
country  carefully,  I  was  fain  to  confess  that  one  of  two 
things  was  certain  :  either  the  Motor  Pirate  had  the  power 
to  make  his  car  invisible  at  will,  or  else  he  had  a  truly 
phenomenal  knowledge  of  the  bye-roads.  How  he  had 
even  managed  to  get  to  Oxford,  after  his  exploits  in  the 
West  of  England,  without  arrest,  puzzled  me.  The 
car  was  so  unique  in  shape  that  it  seemed  bound  to 
excite  observation.  It  could  not  have  been  put  up  at 
any  hotel,  any  more  than  it  could  have  been  run  through 
the  country  by  daylight,  without  exciting  remark  and 
its  presence  being  chronicled.  What,  then,  had  he  done 
with  it?  The  more  I  pondered  the  question  the  more 
puzzled  I  became,  and  at  the  same  time  the  more 


52  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

determined  to  seek  a  solution  of  the  mystery.  But  how  r 
I  made  a  dozen  plans,  all  of  which,  upon  consideration, 
appeared  so  futile,  that  I  gave  up  the  game  in  despair, 
and  decided  to  see  if  my  brain  would  not  become  clearer 
after  I  had  paid  my  promised  visit  to  Colonel  Maitland. 

I  did  not  find  Miss  Maitland  alone,  as  I  expected,  or 
I  might  probably  have  been  tempted  to  confide  my 
experience  to  her,  and  to  have  asked  the  assistance  of 
her  woman's  wit  in  putting  me  on  the  track  of  a  solution 
to  the  mystery.  Mannering  was  with  her.  When  I 
made  my  appearance  in  the  drawing-room,  and  found 
him  enjoying  a  tfae-h-tetey  I  cursed  myself  for  delaying 
my  call  and  thus  giving  him  such  an  opportunity.  My 
temper  was  not  improved  either  by  the  discovery  that 
they  were  sufficiently  engrossed  in  conversation  to  have 
been  able  very  well  to  dispense  with  my  presence.  I 
did  not  feel  called  upon  to  leave  Mannering  a  clear 
field,  however,  so  I  joined  in  the  discussion,  and  tried 
my  hardest  to  be  pleasant. 

Of  course,  there  was  only  one  possible  topic  of 
conversation,  the  theme  which  was  uttermost  in  every 
one's  mind  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land.  It  was  a  difficult  subject  for  me  to  discuss,  and 
in  a  measure  it  was  a  difficult  subject  for  Mannering, 
inasmuch  as  it  was  hard  to  refrain  from  reference  to 
the  personal  experience  we  had  had  with  the  Motor 
Pirate.  It  became  increasingly  difficult,  when  a  few 
minutes  after  my  arrival  Colonel  Maitland  joined  us. 

**It  was   lucky  for   him  he  did  not  meet  us,  hey, 


THE   COLONEL  DREAMS          53 

Sutgrove  ? "  said  the  Colonel.  "  You,  Winter,  and 
myself,  would  soon  settle  a  Motor  Pirate,  wouldn't  we  ?** 

I  muttered  something  which  would  pass  for  an  assent, 
while  Mannering  shot  an  amused  smile  in  my  direction. 

"I  wonder  though  we  saw  nothing  of  him,*'  con- 
tinued Maitland  ;  **  he  must  have  been  very  near  us 
last  night." 

<4He  seems  to  have  been  everywhere,"  I  answered. 

"  He  has  the  ubiquity  of  a  De  Wet,"  said  Mannering. 

"  I  hope  I  shall  have  a  chance  of  meeting  him  some- 
time," I  continued  grimly. 

Colonel  Maitland  chuckled.  "  Heavens  I  What  a 
fire-eater  you  are,  Sutgrove.  One  might  almost  take  you 
for  a  sub  in  a  cavalry  regiment." 

I  made  no  answer,  and  Miss  Maitland  remarked — "I 
think  that  is  very  unkind  of  you.  You  spoke  of  the 
Motor  Pirate  as  if  you  owed  him  a  grudge.  I  think 
we  all  ought  to  be  supremely  thankful  to  him  for  having 
made  the  wettest  day  we  have  had  this  year  pass  quite 
pleasantly." 

Bear  him  a  grudge  ?  I  should  think  I  did,  but  at  the 
same  time,  I  had  no  intention  of  confessing  the  reason, 
so  I  said — 

"  Then  we'll  drink  long  life  and  prosperity  to 
him  the  next  time  we  have  a  bottle  of  that  same 
port  your  father  approved  so  highly  last  night."  Then 
I  turned  to  the  Colonel,  and  made  a  clumsy  attempt 
to  turn  the  subject  of  conversation.  "  Is  your  verdict 
upon  my  restaurant  equally  favourable  to-day,  sir  ?  " 


54  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

Colonel  Maitland's  eyes  twinkled.  "  I  have  nothing 
to  regret.  As  for  the  port  with  which  we  finished,  it 
seems  to  me  the  sort  of  stuff  dreams  are  made  of.  Do 
you  know  that  the  glass  I  drank — was  it  one  glass  or 
two  ? — gave  me  the  most  vivid  dream  I  have  enjoyed 
since  my  childhood  ?  " 

**  Indeed  !     Let's  hear  it,  Colonel,"  I  replied. 

"Do  tell  us,"  said  his  daughter,  as  she  rose  from 
her  seat,  and  put  her  arms  coaxingly  round  her  father's 
neck.  "  Do  tell  us  like  a  real,  good,  kind,  old-fashioned 
parent." 

The  Colonel  passed  his  hand  lovingly  over  his 
daughter's  sunny  hair. 

"  Sutgrove  and  Mannering  don't  want  to  hear  about 
an  old  fellow's  silly  dreams,"  he  said.  "  Besides,  it  was 
all  about  the  Motor  Pirate,  and  I  can  see  that  Sutgrove 
for  one  is  quite  sick  of  the  subject." 

I  was,  and  I  wasn't,  but  I  speedily  declared  that 
I  was  not  when  I  saw  that  his  daughter  was  bent  upon 
hearing  the  story.  So  he  started  upon  a  prosy  description 
as  to  how  the  fresh  air  had  sent  him  to  sleep,  not  saying 
a  word  about  the  port,  and  I  ceased  to  listen  to  him, 
preferring  to  devote  the  whole  of  my  attention  to  his 
daughter,  who  had  seated  herself  upon  a  footstool  at 
his  feet,  and  was  looking  up  into  his  face  with  a  pretty 
affectionate  glance  in  her  deep  blue  eyes,  enough  to 
set  any  one  longing  to  be  the  recipient  of  similar  regard. 
Her  form,  attitude,  expression,  all  made  so  deep  an 
impression  upon  me,  that  I  have  only  to  close  my  eyes 


THE   COLONEL   DREAMS  55 

at  any  time  to  see  her  just  as  she  was  then — the  little 
witch  !  She  knew  full  well  how  to  make  the  most 
of  her  attractions,  and  though  she  has  often  declared 
since  to  me  that  the  pose  was  quite  unpremeditated, 
I  could  never  quite  believe  her. 

However  that  may  be,  I  was  so  fascinated  in  watch- 
ing her — there  was  one  stray  curl  which  lay  like  a 
strand  of  woven  gold  upon  her  brow.  Confound  it  ! 
It's  all  very  well  for  the  fellow  who  writes  fiction  for 
a  living  to  write  about  people's  emotions.  He  is  cold 
himself.  If  he  were  like  me,  and  wished  to  describe 
his  own  feelings,  he  might  find  himself  in  the  same 
difficulty  as  myself,  and  give  up  the  attempt. 

The  Colonel's  voice  droned  on.  Suddenly  I  awoke 
to  the  consciousness  that  he  was  speaking  of  me.  I  think 
it  was  the  fact  of  his  daughter  looking  at  me  which 
recalled  me  to  attention. 

"  Sutgrove  had  just  looked  back  to  see  if  I  was 
comfortable,  when  he  saw  another  car  on  the  road  behind 
us.  We  had  not  long  passed  through  Radlett.  You 
know  the  straight  stretch  of  road  just  past  the  new 
Dutch  barn  on  the  left " 

My  attention  did  not  wander  any  more,  and  you 
may  imagine  my  astonishment  at  hearing  the  Colonel 
describe  in  minute  detail  everything  which  had  befallen 
us  upon  the  previous  evening.  He  could  tell  a  story 
when  he  liked,  and  on  this  occasion  his  description  of 
the  shamefaced  manner  in  which  Winter  had  scrambled 
out  of  his  car,  and  had  handed  over  his  valuables  to  the 


56  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

Motor  Pirate,  was  so  ludicrous  that  I  was  compelled  to 
laugh  at  the  description.  When  my  turn  came  to  be 
described,  Miss  Maitland  and  Mannering  were  just  as 
much  amused,  but  I  am  afraid  that  my  attempt  to  par- 
ticipate in  their  mirth  was  rather  forced. 

When  the  story  was  done,  Miss  Maitland  rose  from 
her  seat  at  her  father's  feet,  and,  putting  a  hand  on  each 
of  his  shoulders — 

"  You  dear,  delightful  old  fibber  1  "  she  remarked. 
"  I  don't  believe  you  dreamed  that  at  all.  You  couldn't." 
Then  she  wheeled  round  on  me.  "  Now  tell  me,  Mr. 
Sutgrove,  didn't  that  dream  of  father's  really  happen  to 
you  last  night  ? " 

What  course  was  open  to  me  but  confession  ?  I 
admitted  the  truth  of  the  story,  and  the  Colonel  was  so 
choked  with  merriment,  that  I  feared  lest  he  should  be 
stricken  with  apoplexy. 

"The  cream  of  the  joke,"  he  explained,  when  he 
recovered  his  powers  of  speech,  "  was  that  neither  Winter 
nor  Sutgrove  had  the  slightest  idea  that  I  was  foxing. 
I  intended  to  inform  them  directly  we  were  clear  of 
the  Pirate ;  but  when  I  heard  them  discussing  the  matter, 
and  determining  to  keep  silence  out  of  tenderness  for 
my  reputation,  I  could  not  resist  keeping  up  the  joke." 

"I  should  think  it  was  their  own  reputations  they 
were  thinking  about,"  said  his  daughter.  "To  submit 
so  tamely  to  one  man  is  not  a  very  heroic  proceeding." 

I  heard  Mannering  chuckle,  and  I  felt  mad.  But 
I  fancy  it  was  not  Mannering's  amusement,  but  my 


THE   COLONEL   DREAMS          57 

own  consciousness  of  the  truth  of  the  criticism  that 
galled. 

Colonel  Maitland  came  to  my  rescue.  **I  thought 
they  were  very  sensible,"  he  said.  "  Even  a  cripple  with 
a  gun  is  better  than  six  sound  Tommies  unarmed." 

"  Sensible — yes,"  she  replied  scornfully.  "  But  there 
are  times  when  one  prefers  a  little  less  sense,  and  a  little 
more — shall  v«  say  action.  I  am  sure  you  would  not 
have  obeyeti  so  tamely  ? "  she  continued,  turning  to 
Mannering. 

He  smiled,  and  I  felt  as  if  it  would  give  me  exquisite 
pleasure  to  catch  him  by  the  throat,  and  twist  the  smile 
out  of  his  dark,  handsome  face. 

"Really,  Miss  Maitland,"  he  replied,  "you  flatter 
me.  You  should  not  be  too  hard  on  Sutgrove.  I  am 
sure  that  it  was  only  the  full  comprehension  of  his  own 
helplessness  which  prevented  him  making  a  fight  of  it. 
What  could  he  have  done  ? " 

"  Oh,  a  man  should  always  know  what  to  do  ! "  she 
answered  petulantly.  a  Has  any  one  ever  tried  to  hold 
you  up  ? " 

"  Well,  yes,"  he  answered.  **  Once  when  I  was 
out  in  the  west  of  the  States,  some  of  the  regulation 
bands  tried  the  game  on  a  train  in  which  I  was  travelling. 
But  then,,  you  see,  the  conductor  in  the  railway-car  in 
which  I  happened  to  be  seated  had  a  six-shooter.  So 
had  I.  The  other  passengers  got  as  near  the  floor  as 
they  possibly  could  when  the  shooting  began.  I  was 
in  pretty  good  practice  in  those  days,  don't  you  know, 


58  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

so  the  other  chaps  didn't  get  much  of  a  look  in.  We 
took  the  four  they  left  behind  them  when  they  bolted 
on  to  the  next  station  with  us.  Three  of  them  were 
buried  there,  if  I  remember  aright." 

"  There,"  said  Miss  Maitland,  with  an  unmistakable 
look  of  admiration  in  her  eyes ;  "I  knew  you  were 
different." 

"  But  then  I  was  armed.  If  I  had  not  been,  I  should 
have  been  on  the  floor  with  the  other  passengers." 

In  reply  she  merely  gave  him  one  glance.  Mannering 
returned  it  with  one  equally  eloquent.  I  rose,  and  stalked 
to  the  window.  To  me  Mannering's  championship 
was  an  aggravation  which  I  could  not  bear.  Harder 
still  was  it  for  me  to  observe  the  understanding  which 
obviously  existed  between  him  and  Miss  Maitland. 
Hitherto  I  had  imagined  that  I  had  as  good  a  chance 
of  winning  her  love  as  he  had.  But  at  this  moment 
I  felt  that  my  hopes  had  been  shattered. 

I  think  if  I  had  remained  a  moment  longer  in  the 
room,  I  should  have  been  unable  to  restrain  an  impulse 
to  knock  some  of  the  self-sufficiency  out  of  my  rival. 
Heft. 

Colonel  Maitland  followed  me  out,  and  I  heard  him 
ask  me  to  dine  with  him  on  the  following  day  to  wipe 
off  the  score  he  owed  me. 

Without  thinking,  I  accepted.  Then  I  went  out 
into  the  rain. 


CHAPTER   VI 

I   AM   ARRESTED 

As  I  went  away  from  the  Maitlands*  house  1  looked 
neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left.  Where  I  went, 
whether  I  trudged  along  the  high  road  or  tramped  across 
country,  I  have  not  to-day  the  slightest  idea.  I  was  so 
enveloped  in  my  own  misery,  that  I  was  absolutely  blind 
to  all  external  objects.  I  could  think  of  nothing  but  my 
dead  hopes.  So  onward  I  went,  stumbling  and  splashing 
through  the  mud,  cursing  Mannering,  cursing  the  Motor 
Pirate,  above  all  cursing  myself  for  my  own  pusillanimity. 
Why  had  I  listened  to  Winter  ?  Why  should  I  have 
allowed  myself  to  be  persuaded  to  play  the  part  of  coward, 
merely  that  Winter's  car  should  have  been  saved  from 
injury  ? 

For  a  long  while  my  thoughts  were  as  aimless  as 
my  progress,  but  gradually  out  of  the  incoherence  one 
idea  crystallized.  It  was  not  an  idea  to  be  proud  of. 
My  bitterness  of  heart  produced  the  natural  result,  that 
was  all — a  burning  desire  to  be  revenged  upon  some- 
body. I  contemplated  revenging  myself  upon  everybody 
who  had  anything  to  do  with  my  discomfiture,  upon 

59 


60  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

Mannering,  upon  Colonel  Maitland,  upon  the  Motor 
Pirate.  Finally  my  choice  settled  upon  the  person  of  the 
Pirate  as  the  most  suitable  object ;  for,  next  to  myself,  he 
was  primarily  responsible  for  my  having  made  so  con- 
temptible a  figure. 

Of  course  the  decision  was  absurd.  Decisions  that 
are  the  outcome  of  any  strong  emotion  usually  are.  But 
it  fulfilled  a  useful  purpose.  It  gave  my  mind  something 
else  to  feed  upon  than  contemplation  of  my  own 
unhappiness.  It  brought  me  to  myself. 

To-day  I  can  laugh  when  I  recall  the  childishness 
of  my  actions,  the  outcome  of  the  unreasoned  prompt- 
ings of  my  puerile  jealousy.  For  when  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  to  avenge  my  sufferings  upon  the  Motor 
Pirate,  I  suddenly  became  aware  that  it  was  pitch  dark ; 
that  I  was  in  the  middle  of  a  field  ;  that  I  was  soaked  to 
the  skin  ;  that  the  rain  was  still  falling  heavily  ;  and 
that  I  had  not  the  slightest  idea  where  I  was.  However, 
I  added  one  more  to  the  acts  of  folly  I  committed  that 
day :  I  solemnly  held  up  my  hands  to  the  dripping 
heavens  and  registered  my  vow  of  revenge.  Then  I 
pushed  on  again,  but  with  my  physical  faculties  on  the 
alert  to  discover  where  I  was. 

I  began,  too,  to  feel  the  discomfort  of  my  position, 
and  became  sensible  ot  a  sneaking  wish  to  be  before  a 
comfortable  fire.  I  crossed  two  or  three  fields,  and 
eventually  coming  to  a  road  I  followed  it,  and,  after 
paddling  through  the  mud  half  a  mile  further,  I  struck 
a  village,  and  in  the  village  an  inn. 


I   AM   ARRESTED  61 

When  I  opened  the  door  and  walked  into  the  cheer- 
ful lamplight  of  the  bar-parlour,  the  half-dozen  occupants 
of  the  cosy  little  room  stared  at  me  with  astonishment. 
Well  they  might.  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  my  reflection 
in  the  glass  behind  the  bottles — if  you  have  ever  seen  a 
corpse  fished  up  by  the  drags  from  a  river  bed,  you  will 
be  able  to  form  some  idea  of  the  appearance  I  presented 
— so  that  I  did  not  resent  their  stare.  In  fact,  I  was 
not  in  a  condition  to  be  able  to  pay  much  attention  to 
the  curious  glances  of  the  villagers.  The  warmth  of 
the  room  together  with  the  sudden  cessation  of  exertion 
were  for  the  moment  too  much  for  me,  and  it  was  as 
much  as  I  could  do  to  stagger  to  the  nearest  chair. 

Fortunately  the  landlord  was  a  man  with  some 
modicum  of  common  sense.  I  am  quite  sure  that  1 
should  have  been  unceremoniously  ejected  from  nine 
public  houses  out  of  ten.  But  mine  host  of  the  White 
Horse — I  learned  afterwards  that  he  had  been  whip  to 
a  well-known  hunt  in  the  West  country — was  able  to 
distinguish  between  fatigue  and  drunkenness,  and  he 
came  at  once  to  my  assistance.  I  heard  him  speak  to 
me,  but  I  was  totally  unable  to  respond.  For  a  while 
indeed  I  must  have  verged  upon  unconsciousness,  for  the 
next  thing  of  which  I  became  aware  was  of  a  glass  at 
my  lips  containing  something  sweet  and  strong. 

I  sipped.  Then  I  drank.  My  consciousness  re- 
turned. In  a  couple  of  minutes  I  could  sit  upright. 
The  landlord  was  beaming  at  me  with  benevolent 
interest. 


62  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

"Take  another  sup,  sir,"  he  said.  "There's  nothing 
like  maraschino  and  gin  when  one  is  a  bit  overwrought. 
I've  known  many  a  gentleman  in  my  part  of  the 
country  who  would  take  nothing  else,  after  a  hard  day 
to  hounds,  to  brace  him  up  for  those  long  ten  miles 
home." 

I  took  another  sup,  and  a  good  one.  Then  my 
powers  of  speech  returning,  I  asked  where  I  was.  I 
found  I  had  not  wandered  nearly  so  far  as  I  expected. 
I  was  barely  six  miles  from  my  home — at  King's 
Langley  ;  but  this  fact  was  no  criterion  of  the  distance 
I  must  have  traversed  in  my  mad  frenzy,  for  I  saw  by 
the  clock  that  the  hour  was  ten.  It  was  about  five  when 
I  left  Colonel  Maitland's  house,  so  that  I  had  been 
pressing  onward  for  five  hours  in  as  wild  a  night  as 
any  on  which  I  have  ever  been  abroad. 

I  leaned  back  in  my  chair  with  the  object  of  resting 
a  few  minutes  before  starting  homewards.  But,  whether 
owing  to  the  spirit  I  had  swallowed,  or  to  the  heavy 
exertion  I  had  undergone,  or  merely  because  of  my  in- 
tense mental  fatigue,  I  felt  drowsiness  overcoming  me  so 
rapidly  that  I  perceived  it  would  never  do  for  me  to  give 
way  to  it.  Pulling  myself  together  I  rose  to  my  feet,  at 
the  same  time  thrusting  my  hand  into  my  pocket  for 
the  money  to  pay  for  my  drink.  The  mere  act  of 
rising,  however,  was  almost  too  much  for  me.  My 
body  felt  as  stiff  as  if  I  had  been  beaten  all  over.  Only 
to  move  was  absolute  physical  pain.  I  looked  at  the 
landlord. 


I   AM   ARRESTED  63 

**  I'm  afraid  I  am  more  knocked  up  than  I  thought. 
Can  you  manage  a  hot  hath  and  a  bed  for  me  to-night  ?  " 
I  asked. 

He  glanced  at  me  curiously,  and,  after  a  moment's 
consideration,  he  replied — 

u  I'll  see  what  the  missus'll  say." 

Luckily  "  the  missus "  said  "  Yes,"  so  ten  minutes 
later  I  was  sluicing  hot  water  over  my  aching  limbs  with 
a  stable  sponge  in  the  bath  which,  I  suspect,  did  duty  on 
ordinary  occasions  for  the  family  washing.  Whatever  it 
was,  it  did  excellently  well  for  my  purpose.  Gradually 
a  delicious  feeling  of  relaxation  stole  over  me.  I  tumbled 
between  the  sheets  and  was  asleep  even  before  my  host 
entered  my  room  to  take  away  my  soaked  clothing  to  be 
dried. 

My  sleep  might  have  lasted  one  second*  In  point  of 
fact  I  slept  until  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning,  and 
should  have  continued  to  sleep  if  I  had  not  felt  a  hand 
on  my  arm  shaking  me,  and  heard  a  voice  bidding  me 
arise.  Fancying  I  was  at  home,  and  that  my  man  was 
calling  me,  I  said,  "  All  right,  Wilson,"  and  turned  over 
for  another  snooze. 

"  Now  then,  get  up  out  of  that ! "  said  the  voice. 
**  None  of  your  shamming  1  We  are  not  to  be  put  off 
that  way." 

It  was  not  Wilson's  voice.  Wondering  what  was 
happening,  I  sat  up  in  bed  and  rubbed  my  eyes  sleepily. 

"  What  the  deuce I "  I  began.  Then  I  stopped 

suddenly.  A  couple  of  constables  in  uniform  stood  at 


64  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

the  bedside,  and  I  gathered  that  it  was  the  voice  of  the 
sergeant  which  had  so  rudely  disturbed  my  slumbers. 

u  What  do  you  want  ? "  I  demanded. 

**  You  know  well  enough,"  replied  the  sergeant. 
"  You  make  haste  and  dress  yourself  and  come  along 
with  us." 

I  thought  my  senses  had  deserted  me. 

"  What  in  the  name  of  good  fortune  for  ?  **  I 
asked. 

"You're  not  going  to  kid  us,  my  good  feller,"  he 
answered.  Adding  facetiously,  "  If  we  puts  a  name  to  it 
and  calls  it  piracy  on  the  'igh  road,  I  wonder  what  you'll 
'ave  to  say  to  it,  remembering,  of  course,  that  anything 
you  do  say  will  be  taken  down  and  used  in  evidence 
against  you." 

Then  all  that  had  happened  flashed  across  my  mind  ; 
my  strange  appearance  and  arrival  at  the  inn  ;  my 
peculiar  manner ;  my  possession  of  plenty  of  money  ; 
the  curious  glances  of  the  village  folk ;  the  fact  that 
somewhere  in  the  vicinity  the  Motor  Pirate  had  last 
been  seen.  Under  the  circumstances,  nothing  could 
be  more  likely  than  that  the  bucolic  intelligence  should 
jump  to  the  conclusion  that  I  was  the  famous  criminal. 
To  me,  however,  the  idea  seemed  so  absurd  that  I  fell 
into  hearty  laughter.  My  merriment  seemed  to  annoy 
the  sergeant,  for  he  declared  crossly  that  if  I  did  not 
dress  quickly,  he  would  find  himself  under  the  necessity 
of  taking  me  away  as  I  was. 

I  thought  it  expedient  to  temporize,  and  as  a  result 


I   AM    ARRESTED  65 

of  a  Htdc  diplomacy,  in  which  one  of  the  coins  from  my 
pocket  found  another  resting-place,  I  obtained  permission 
to  breakfast  before  I  left. 

I  made  a  hearty  meal,  the  landlord  attending  upon 
my  wants.  I  was  glad  to  see  that  he,  at  least,  had  no 
hand  in  thrusting  upon  me  the  indignity  of  being 
arrested.  He  explained  as  much,  telling  my  captors  the^ 
were  making  idiots  of  themselves.  As  he  seemed  trust- 
worthy, I  gave  him  Winter's  address,  with  instructions 
to  wire  to  him,  telling  him  of  my  predicament,  and 
asking  him  to  come  to  my  assistance. 

Necessarily  I  gave  the  instructions  in  the  presence  of 
the  policemen,  and  directly  I  had  done  sol  could  see  that 
their  cocksureness  was  shaken.  They  became  more  polite 
in  their  attitude,  and  the  sergeant  took  the  trouble  to  ex- 
plain that  he  was  acting  under  instructions,  and  had  no 
option  but  to  insist  upon  my  accompanying  him  to 
Watford. 

Into  Watford  I  went  accordingly.  I  am  not  going  to 
dwell  in  any  detail  upon  the  incidents  of  the  journey  ;  1 
am  naturally  of  a  retiring  disposition,  and  every  circum- 
stance attending  my  progress  was  in  the  nature  of  an  out- 
rage upon  my  diffidence.  For  instance,  upon  my  departure 
from  the  inn,  the  whole  of  the  population  from  King's 
Langley,  so  far  as  I  could  judge,  had  gathered  about  the 
door  of  the  White  Horse  to  give  me  a  send-off.  The 
crowd  was  in  no  sense  a  hostile  one.  The  majority  of  its 
component  parts,  especially  the  more  youthful  units, 
teemed  indeed  to  view  me  with  admiration  not  unmixed 


66  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

with  envy.     Only  one  yokel  expressed  disbelief  in  my 
identity. 

**  Ee  ain't  no  pirut,"  he  declared  with  unconcealed 
disdain,  as  he  spat  into  the  gutter.  "  Anybody  can  see  he's 
only  a  toff." 

I  scarcely  knew  whether  to  be  pleased  with  his  con- 
clusion or  angry  that  he  should  find  my  personal  appear- 
ance so  unimpressive  ;  and  before  I  could  make  up  my 
mind  on  the  subject,  I  was  seated  in  the  trap  provided  for 
us  and  driven  away  seated  between  the  two  constables. 

Our  entry  into  Watford  was  still  more  in  the  nature 
of  a  triumph.  Long  before  we  reached  the  county  police 
office  I  was  wild  enough,  at  being  made  such  an  exhibition 
of,  to  have  given  ten  years  of  my  life  for  the  chance  of 
punching  the  head  of  any  one  of  the  throng  of  gaping  on- 
lookers. Then,  as  a  culminating  blow  to  my  pride,  who 
should  we  meet  at  a  point  in  the  High  Street  where  it 
was  impossible  to  avoid  recognition,  but  my  rival  Manner- 
ing  in  his  trumpery  old  motor-car,  accompanied  by — above 
all  persons  in  the  world,  the  one  I  least  desired  to  tec — 
Miss  Maitland. 

I  ground  my  teeth  with  rage,  and  as  I  alighted  and 
followed  the  sergeant  into  the  police  station,  I  wished  that 
I  were  the  Motor  Pirate  in  reality. 

When  I  reached  the  presence  of  the  officer  in  charge 
of  the  station  I  just  managed  to  control  my  temper,  though 
I  fancy  there  must  have  been  traces  of  my  rage  still  visible 
in  my  voice  as  I  demanded  to  know  why  a  peaceable 
citizen  should  be  subjected  to  such  ignominy. 


I   AM   ARRESTED  67 

The  inspector  in  reply  merely  asked  me  for  mjr  name 
and  address. 

Before  meeting  Miss  Maitland  I  had  cherished  the 
hope  that  my  identity  would  not  be  disclosed,  but  now 
I  had  no  further  reason  for  desiring  to  conceal  it,  I  gave 
both  at  once. 

The  inspector  quietly  made  a  note  of  them,  while 
another  man  in  plain  clothes,  who  was  standing  gazing 
out  of  the  window,  suddenly  turned  on  me  with  the 
inquiry — 

"  How  comes  it,  Mr.  Sutgrove,  that  living  at  St. 
Albans  you  should  choose  to  spend  the  night  at  a  little  inn 
at  King's  Langley  ?  " 

**  I  suppose  I  am  at  liberty  to  sleep  where  I  like  ?  "  I 
retorted. 

"  Perfectly  so,"  replied  the  stranger.  **  You  will  have 
no  difficulty,  I  presume,  in  proving  your  identity  ? " 

"  Not  the  slightest,*'  I  said.  "  In  fact  I  have  already 
wired  to  a  friend  of  mine — Mr.  Winter,  of  Hailscombe, 
St.  Albans — to  come  here  for  the  purpose." 

'*  I  know  Mr.  Winter  very  well,"  said  the  inspector. 

The  stranger  looked  at  me  keenly,  and  when  his 
scrutiny  was  completed  he  fell  to  whistling  a  bar  of 
Chopin's  Marche  Funtbrt.  Then  he  turned  to  his  col- 
league in  uniform. 

"  It's  no  go,"  he  said.  "  This  is  not  our  man." 
Again  he  turned  to  me.  '*  I  am  Inspector  Forrest  of 
Scotland  Yard,  detailed  for  special  duty  in  connection  with 
this  Motor  Pirate  affair.  Unfortunately  I  did  not  reach 


68  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

Watford  until  after  arrangements  had  been  made  to  bring 

you  here,  or I  hope  you  will  not  take  it  amiss  if 

we  detain  you  until  Mr.  Winter's  arrival." 

This  gave  me  the  opening  I  had  been  wishing  for,  and 
I  took  it.  I  said  a  lot  more  than  I  can  recall  now,  though 
I  can  remember  a  good  deal.  Most  of  it  was  to  the  effect 
that  I  would  make  somebody  pay  dearly  for  the  annoy- 
ance to  which  I  had  been  subjected. 

Inspector  Forrest  listened  patiently  to  me  until  I  had 
finished. 

"  Come,  come,  Mr.  Sutgrove  !  "  he  said  then.  "  You 
must  not  bear  any  malice.  Surely  you  must  admit  that 
appearances  were  not  altogether  in  your  favour,"  and  he 
detailed  to  me  the  information  which  had  led  to  my 
arrest.  "  You  see,"  he  said  in  conclusion,  "  that  practi- 
cally we  had  no  option  in  the  matter." 

I  dissented  from  his  view.  He  said  a  word  to  the 
inspector  in  uniform,  who  left  us  alone  in  the  room. 
Then  he  came  close  to  me  and  remarked  in  a  confidential 
tone. 

"  The  fact  is,  our  friend,  who  has  just  left  us,  has 
been  too  precipitate.  You  can  make  things  exceedingly 
unpleasant  for  him  if  you  like  ;  but  frankly,  is  it  worth 
while  ?  Think  it  over  a  little,  bearing  in  mind  that  if  we 
are  to  get  hold  of  the  Motor  Pirate,  we  must  take  the 
chance  of  capturing  the  wrong  man,  since  there  is  no 
description  of  him  obtainable.  You  will  not  be  the  only 
one,  I'll  swear." 

Since  I  had  relieved  my  mind  I  felt  better.     Besides 


I   AM   ARRESTED  69 

I  was  rather  attracted  by  the  personality  of  the  man  who 
was  speaking  to  me.  He  did  not  at  all  fulfil  my  idea  of 
a  detective.  He  was  a  tall,  slight,  stiffly  built  man, 
with  a  pleasant  open  face  and  an  agreeable  manner.  I 
saw,  too,  that  I  had  only  my  own  folly  to  blame  for  the 
predicament  in  which  I  now  found  myself. 

In  another  ten  minutes  he  was  smoking  one  of  my 
cigars  and  we  were  chatting  confidentially.  Before 
twenty  had  elapsed,  I  had  confided  to  him  not  only  Win- 
ter's and  my  own  experience  with  the  Motor  Pirate,  but 
also  the  chain  of  events  which  had  led  to  my  spending  the 
night  at  the  inn.  He  was  exceedingly  sympathetic  and 
quite  grave  throughout,  though  he  appeared  more  in- 
terested in  the  encounter  with  the  Pirate  than  in  the 
account  of  my  mental  tortures.  However,  when  I  told 
him  of  my  vow,  he  brightened  up  and  asked  me  if  I  was 
still  determined  to  keep  it. 

I  had  just  assured  him  that  I  would  willingly  spend 
the  rest  of  my  life  in  the  quest,  when  the  other  inspector 
entered  the  room  and  with  him  Winter.  The  latter  came 
straight  across  to  me  and  held  out  his  hand,  and  never  in 
my  life  was  I  so  glad  to  see  his  honest  face  and  beaming 
smile. 

"  What  have  you  been  up  to  now,  Sutgrove  ?  **  he 
remarked.  "Not  emulating  the  deeds  of  the  Motor 
Pirate?" 

**  The  police  have  somehow  arrived  at  the  conclusion 
that  I  am  that  distinguished  person  himself,"  I  replied 
ruefully. 


70  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

He  roared  with  laughter.  It  was  infectious.  There 
was  no  help  for  it.  The  two  inspectors  joined  in  the 
merriment,  and  the  last  of  017  anger  was  borne  away  on 
the  flood. 

There  was  of  course  no  question  of  my  further  deten- 
tion. In  a  few  minutes  I  was  seated  beside  Winter  in  his 
car,  and  we  were  making  the  mud  fly  as  we  dashed 
towards  St.  Albans. 

Inspector  Forrest  accompanied  us.  I  had  promised  to 
find  him  some  lunch  if  he  would  do  so,  and  to  drive  him 
back  afterwards,  and  he  was  glad  of  the  opportunity  of 
obtaining  from  us  such  particulars  as  we  could  furnish 
him  with  concerning  the  person  of  whom  he  was  in 
search, 


CHAPTER  VII 


"THE  telegraph,"  said  Inspector  Forrest,  sentcntiously 
"  is  even  more  speedy  than  the  Motor  Pirate." 

"Unless  you  want  to  send  a  message  from  Regent 
Street  to  the  City,"  I  remarked ;  **  in  which  case  one 
would  save  time  by  employing  a  sloth  as  messenger." 

The  inspector  waved  aside  the  objection  as  frivolous. 
He  occupied  an  easy  chair  opposite  me  ;  he  was  smoking 
one  of  my  best  cigars  with  every  sign  of  active  enjoy- 
ment ;  he  sipped  his  glass  of  claret — he  rarely  touched 
anything  stronger,  he  informed  me — with  the  air  of  a 
connoisseur. 

**We  shall  beat  him  with  the  telegraph,"  said  he. 
**  Clearly  he  has  one  retreat  where  he  can  put  up  his  car 
in  safety.  Probably  he  has  more  than  one.  It  is  not 
impossible  for  him  to  have  several.  There  might  even 
be  a  number  of  Motor  Pirates,  members  of  the  same 
gang,  but  selecting  different  parts  of  the  country  upon 
which  to  prey.  The  telegraph  will  soon  settle  these 
points  for  us.  When  next  he  makes  his  appearance  we 
shall  be  able  to  keep  watch  upon  him,  to  note,  if  not  the 


72  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

exact  spot,  at  least  in  what  part  of  the  country  he  makes 
his  appearance.  Even  if  it  should  be  found  impossible 
to  arrest  him  in  his  progress,  he  is  bound  to  leave  some 
traces  behind  him  which  will  enable  us  to  get  upon 
his  track." 

"  He  does  not  seem  to  have  left  many  behind  him 
at  present,"  I  replied. 

"  No,"  said  the  inspector  thoughtfully,  as  he  rose  and 
examined  the  map  spread  out  upon  the  table.  "  Yet 
there  are  certainly  grounds  for  believing  that  he  has  gone 
to  earth  somewhere  in  this  neighbourhood.  The  Hert- 
fordshire police  may  have  been  nearer  the  mark  than  you 
thought  when  they  arrested  you." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you  still  suspect  me  ?  *' 
I  cried. 

"Not  for  one  instant,"  he  answered  promptly. 
**  The  meaning  I  meant  to  convey  was  that,  quite  un- 
known to  you,  the  Motor  Pirate  may  very  well  be  your 
near  neighbour.  I  suppose  there  is  no  one  residing 
near  'whom  you  would  consider  a  likely  object  of 
suspicion  ? ' 

There  flashed  across  my  mind  the  strange  similarity 
between  Mannering*s  voice  and  the  Motor  Pirate's. 
But  the  notion  was  so  absurd  I  was  ashamed  to  mention 
it.  I  assured  the  inspector  I  knew  of  no  one. 

"  At  all  events,  my  belief  is  strong  enough  to  keep 
me  in  this  district  until  I  hear  something  further,"  he 
declared,  as  he  finished  the  contents  of  his  glass  and 
glanced  at  his  watch. 


INSPECTOR   FORREST  73 

Just  then  I  caught  sight  of  Mannering  coming  up 
che  path  through  the  garden  towards  my  front  door. 

w  You  had  better  stay  a  little  longer,"  I  said  to  the 
inspector.  "  Here  is  another  man  corning  who  may  be 
able  to  give  you  some  more  details  of  the  Pirate.  He 
has  seen  him,  and  as  he  has  been  a  longer  resident  here 
than  myself,  he  may  be  able  to  tell  you  more  about  the 
people  round  than  I  can.*' 

"  A  motorist  ? "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  named  Mannering,"  I  replied.  "  He  is  the 
man  I  told  you  about,  whom  I  consider  to  be  my  rival, 
you  know." 

The  inspector's  eyes  twinkled.  "  I  shouldn't  let  him' 
drive  me  into  any  more  adventures  like  last  night's, 
Mr.  Sutgrove,"  he  advised.  "  If  you  were  ten  years  older 
— my  age,  you  know — you  wouldn't  need  the  warning, 
A  bout  of  rheumatic  fever  would  be  small  consolation 
for  the  loss  of  the  lady." 

I  could  not  reply,  for  at  that  moment  Mannering 
entered. 

"  Glad  to  see  you  home  again,  Sutgrove,"  he  said 
heartily.  "  I'm  not  the  only  one  either.  Miss  Maitland 
asked  me  to  call,  for  after  seeing  you  in  such  bad 

company  this  morning Hullo  !  I  beg  your  pardon, 

I  thought  you  were  alone."     He  stopped  suddenly  on 
catching  sight  of  Inspector  Forrest. 

I  introduced  my  guest  and  Mannering  acknowledged 
the  introduction  easily. 

**  Inspector  Forrest  will  assure  you  that  I  have  only 


74  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

been  unfortunate  enough  to  have  been  the  object  of  our 
local  constabulary's  misplaced  zeal.  They  took  me  for 
our  mutual  friend  the  Motor  Pirate." 

"  Did  they  though  ?  What  an  almighty  spoof  1 " 
said  Mannering.  "  First  time  I  ever  heard  of  a  man 
being  run  in  for  robbing  himself  on  the  high-road. 
Beats  Gilbert  ! " 

"  Mr.  Sutgrove  did  not  see  the  point  of  the  joke  at 
first,"  said  the  inspector.  I  saw  that  as  he  spoke  he  was 
taking  note  of  Mannering  in  much  the  same  way  as  he 
had  taken  stock  of  me  at  the  police  office. 

Mannering  appeared  to  be  quite  unconscious  of  his 
regard,  for  he  replied — 

"  Don't  suppose  I  should  have  relished  such  a  mistake 
myself.  Anyway,"  he  continued,  turning  to  me,  "  you 
have  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  you  are  not  the 
only  victim  of  police  enterprise.  I  see  from  the  papers 
quite  half  a  dozen  motor  pirates  have  been  run  in. 
They  may  have  the  real  one  amongst  them ;  but  as  his 
car  has  so  far  escaped  capture,  I  doubt  it." 

"So  do  I,"  I  remarked.  "And  for  the  additional 
reason  that  I  have  a  sort  of  presentiment  that  when  his 
capture  is  brought  about,  I  am  going  to  have  a  hand  in  it." 

"  What  do  you  say  to  that,  Inspector  ? "  he  answered. 
"  Are  you  going  to  leave  the  job  to  amateurs  ? " 

**I  never  said  *no*  to  the  offer  of  assistance  in 
running  down  a  criminal,"  was  the  reply. 

"I  have  sworn,"  I  remarked  obstinately,  "that  I 
will  not  rest  until  he  is  safe  under  lock  and  key." 


INSPECTOR   FORREST  75 

"  You  had  better  be  prepared,"  answered  Mannering. 
"  I  should  judge  him  to  be  a  bit  of  a  fighter." 

**  Next  time  I  meet  him,  I'll  take  all  risks  to  come 
to  close  quarters,"  I  continued. 

"You  haven't  a  car  to  do  a  hundred  miles  an  hour, 
have  you  f "  he  said  in  a  bantering  voice. 

"  My  plan  is  a  simple  one.  I  merely  propose  to  go 
out  for  night  rides  until  he  finds  me,"  I  said. 

"I  had  some  thoughts  of  amusing  myself  in  the 
same  way,"  he  answered.  "But,  judging  from  your 
experience  this  morning,  the  only  thing  likely  to  happen 
is  being  arrested  on  suspicion.** 

"  I'll  take  my  chance  of  that,"  I  said.  "  But  before 
discussing  the  matter,  perhaps  you  could  tell  Inspector 
Forrest  whether  there's  any  spot  in  this  neighbourhood 
likely  to  serve  as  a  hiding-place  for  the  Pirate's  car  ? " 

A  smile  lit  up  Mannering's  face.  "  There's  the  old 
coach-house  at  the  bottom  of  the  paddock  next  to  my 
cottage.  It  has  a  door  opening  on  to  the  main  road. 
There  would  be  room,  too,  in  my  stables,  if  I  had  not 
fitted  them  up  as  workshops  for  my  tyre  experiments." 

"  Stop  rotting,"  I  said,  "  the  inspector  really  means  it." 

He  became  grave  instantly.  "  Sorry  I  can't  suggest 
a  likely  spot,"  he  said,  and  then  for  a  few  minutes  he 
answered  the  questions  the  detective  put  to  him  as  to 
what  he  had  seen  of  the  Pirate. 

He  could  give  little  information  of  any  value,  and 
when  Inspector  Forrest  had  elicited  all  that  he  could,  he 
thanked  Mannering  and  rose  to  depart.  I  accompanied 


7»  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

him  o  the  garden  gate.  He  appeared  a  little  loth  to  leave 
me.  Twice  he  turned  away  and  returned  to  make  some 
objet  iless  remark  to  me.  The  third  time  he  blurted  out — 

"  About  that  suggestion  of  yours — taking  night  rides 
on  th  £  chance  of  being  held  up M 

"  Yes  ?  "  I  said  and  waited. 

"  I  wish  I  had  a  good  fast  car  at  my  disposal,"  he  con- 
tinue] earnestly  ;  "  but  the  Yard  would  never  run  to  it." 

I  felt  a  pleasant  thrill  run  through  me.  It  would  be 
good  to  have  his  companionship  and  assistance  in  work- 
ing out  my  self-imposed  vow. 

"  If  you  can  make  use  of  it,  I  will  see  that  the  best  cat 
money  can  buy  is  placed  at  your  disposal,"  I  replied  eagerly. 

He  took  my  hand  and  shook  it  warmly.  "I'll  see 
what  my  chief  says,"  he  replied.  "When  can  I  sec 
you  again  ? " 

"I  shall  be  leaving  here  at  eight  and  returning  well 
— between  ten  and  eleven." 

"  Expect  me  about  midnight,"  he  said,  and  without 
another  word  or  backward  glance  he  stepped  out  in  the 
direction  of  St.  Albans. 

I  returned  to  Mannering,  who  did  not,  however, 
favour  me  with  a  very  lengthy  visit.  Possibly  he  found 
my  manner  rather  cool,  but  the  fact  was,  that  try  as 
I  would  to  curb  my  feelings,  I  could  not  but  resent 
something  of  an  air  of  proprietorship  which  I  thought 
appeared  in  his  tone  when  referring  to  Miss  Maitland. 

When  he  had  departed,  I  got  out  all  the  catalogue:; 
of  motor-cars  I  could  lay  my  hands  upon,  and  studied 


INSPECTOR   FORREST  77 

them  until  it  was  time  to  dress  for  dinner.  Several 
times  I  thought  of  breaking  the  appointment,  for  I  knew 
I  should  have  to  give  some  explanation  of  my  arrest, 
and  how  to  do  so  without  appearing  an  egregious  ass 
I  did  not  know.  Finally  I  determined,  if  the  opportunity 
were  afforded  me,  to  tell  the  exact  truth,  at  least  to  the 
only  person  whose  opinion  I  cared  about. 

I  was  glad  afterwards  that  I  had  not  sent  my  excuses, 
for  I  was  lucky  enough  to  find  Miss  Maitland  alone 
in  the  drawing-room  when  I  arrived.  It  seemed,  too, 
as  if  she  had  determined  to  make  amends  for  the  mental 
torture  she  had  unwittingly  caused  me  the  previous 
evening.  So  it  happened  that  when  she  questioned  me 
as  to  how  I  managed  to  get  into  such  a  predicament, 
I  told  her  as  clearly  as  I  could  of  the  state  of  my  feelings. 
It  was  a  blundering,  halting  statement  I  made,  of  that 
I  am  certain,  and  before  I  had  completed  it  Colonel 
Maitland's  entry  closed  my  mouth.  But  I  think  she 
understood,  for  there  was  a  little  flush  on  her  cheek 
when  we  went  into  dinner  which  had  not  been  there 
when  I  greeted  her,  and  a  pretty  air  of  seriousness  in 
the  glances  she  bestowed  upon  me,  which  I  had  never 
noticed  before. 

As  far  as  the  Colonel  was  concerned,  he  did  not 
worry  me  for  any  explanations.  He  was  bent  on 
enlarging  my  knowledge  of  gastronomy,  and  having  a 
new  cook,  he  was  much  too  deeply  interested  in  the 
menu  to  spare  any  thoughts  for  my  erratic  movements. 
I  am  afraid,  though,  his  teaching  was  wasted  on  me ;  for 


78  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

while  I  managed  to  reply  to  his  conversation,  I  had  not 
the  slightest  idea  what  I  was  eating.  My  principal 
longing  was  to  get  the  meal  over  in  order  that  I  might 
finish  the  conversation  which  had  opened  so  auspiciously. 
The  opportunity  was  not  afforded  me  on  that  occasion, 
however,  but  the  evening  did  not  pass  without  my 
obtaining  a  glimmering  of  hope. 

When  Miss  Maitland  rose  I  asked  her,  in  a  voice 
which  was  low  enough  not  to  reach  her  father's  ear, 
whether  she  would  answer  me  one  question. 

"  What  is  it  ? "  she  said,  and  her  face  flushed  a  little 
as  she  came  to  the  door. 

"  Is  there  any  one  else  ? "  I  asked,  my  hand  on  the  knob. 

**  What  right  have  you  to  ask  ? "  she  answered. 

"  No  right,  I  only  ask  it  of  your  mercy,"  I  replied. 

She  hesitated,  then  with  flushed  cheeks  and  a  soft 
whispered  "  No  one,"  she  escaped  through  the  door. 

Over  the  port  I  took  my  new-found  courage  in  both 
hands,  and  asked  the  Colonel's  consent  to  my  suit.  I 
gained  it.  He  even  expressed  the  hope  that  I  should 
succeed,  but  he  warned  me  at  the  same  time  that  I  must 
not  depend  upon  him  for  any  assistance.  He  declared 
himself  to  be  clay  in  the  hands  of  his  daughter. 

"Evie  always  had  her  own  way  from  the  cradle," 
he  declared,  "and  always  will  have  her  own  way.  If 
I  were  to  say  that  I  thought  you  would  make  her  a  good 
husband,  I'm  not  sure  whether  she  would  not  consider 
it  9,  sufficient  excuse  to  accept  Mannering  straight  away. 
Personally  I  should  much  prefer  you,  but  there's  no 


INSPECTOR   FORREST  79 

counting  on  a  woman's  tastes,  either  in  men  or  wines. 
And  Evie  is  a  perfect  woman,  God  bless  her  I " 

I  drained  my  glass  to  the  toast  and  made  an  excuse 
to  get  away  to  the  drawing-room.  But  I  did  not  see 
her  alone  again  that  evening.  Winter  and  his  wife  had 
walked  over.  Mannering  did  not  put  in  an  appearance, 
and  his  absence  was  something  to  be  thankful  for ;  and  when 
I  held  her  hand  in  mine  as  I  bade  her  good  night,  I  said — 

"  You  have  told  me  there  is  no  one  else.  Is  there 
any  hope  for  me  ? " 

She  made  no  pretence  of  misunderstanding  my  mean- 
ing. She  looked  at  me  saucily,  her  lips  parted  lightly, 
her  eyes  brimming  with  laughter. 

**Come  and  ask  me  when — when  you  have  caught 
the  Motor  Pirate,"  she  said,  and  with  that  answer  I  was 
fain  to  be  content. 

Thus  it  happened  that  I  found  myself  fully  committed 
to  the  work  which  was  at  that  time  engaging  the 
attention  of  the  whole  of  the  police  throughout  the  land. 
I  welcomed  the  task.  Luck  might  be  on  my  side, 
especially  if  my  new  friend  the  detective  inspector's 
assistance  proved  to  be  available. 

And  as  regards  assurance  on  this  point,  I  had  not  long 
to  wait  before  my  mind  was  at  ease.  I  found  him 
awaiting  me  at  my  garden  gate  when  I  returned  home. 
I  invited  him  in  so  eagerly  that  he  smiled. 

"  There's  no  need  to  ask  if  you  are  still  as  keen  on 
this  job  as  you  were  this  afternoon,"  he  said,  as  he 
entered  my  snuggery. 


8o  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

"  Keener  than  ever,"  .1  asseverated. 

**  Then  I  hope  between  us  we  may  be  successful  in 
running  our  man  to  ground." 

"  Have  you  heard  anything  further  ? "  I  inquired, 
anxiously. 

"Nothing  of  the  slightest  value.  A  number  of 
people  have  been  through  our  hands,  but  of  the  Pirate — 
not  a  sign." 

"Perhaps  we  shall  get  a  clue  in  the  morning,"  I 
hazarded. 

"  At  present,"  he  declared,  "  there's  not  a  shred  of 
a  due  to  work  upon.  Of  course  at  any  moment 
information  may  come  to  hand.  He  may  endeavour 
to  dispose  of  some  of  his  plunder,  or  he  may  reappear,  but 
until  then " 

"  What  do  you  suggest  ?  "  I  asked. 

**I  shall  stay  and  thoroughly  explore  this  district 
until  I  hear  something  further,"  he  answered. 

**  I  am  thinking  of  going  into  town  in  the  morning, 
to  see  if  a  more  powerful  car  than  the  one  I  possess  at 
present  is  to  be  obtained,"  I  told  him  later.  "I  am 
hoping  to  get  one  capable  of  doing  fifty  or  even  sixty 
miles  an  hour  at  a  pinch,  so  as  to  be  prepared  for 
emergencies.  Meanwhile,  if  you  like  to  make  this  house 
your  headquarters,  I  shall  be  delighted  to  put  you  up." 

"Do  you  really  mean  that,  Mr.  Sutgrove  ?"  he  asked, 

"  Of  course  I  do,"  I  replied. 

He  hesitated  a  moment,  then  he  accepted  my  in- 
vkation.  Luck  was  on  my  side  after  all. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

MURDER 

I  LEARNED  to  know  Inspector  Forrest  very  well  during 
the  next  fortnight,  better  perhaps,  since  during  that  time 
the  Motor  Pirate  gave  absolxitely  no  sign  of  existence. 
It  seemed  as  if,  contented  with  the  sensation  he  had 
created  and  the  plunder  he  had  secured,  he  had  retired 
into  the  obscurity  from  which  he  originally  emerged. 

For  two  reasons  I  was  not  sorry  for  this  interval. 
In  the  first  place,  I  found  I  could  not  get  immediately 
the  type  of  car  I  wanted.  Manufacturers  and  agents 
were  willing  enough  to  book  orders,  but  none  of  them 
had  in  stock  the  high-speed  automobile  such  as  I  re- 
quired. Only  after  a  long  day's  hunt  did  I  discover  an 
agent  who  thought  that  he  could  obtain  for  me  a  6<V 
h.p.  Mercedes,  and  then  it  would  have  to  be  sent  from 
Paris.  At  my  suggestion,  he  telephoned  through  an 
order  that  the  car  should  be  despatched  to  him  at  once  ; 
but  two  or  three  days  elapsed  before  its  arrival  in 
London,  and  then  there  were  certain  alterations  which 
I  required  to  be  made  which  took  a  week  to  complete. 
I  was  glad,  therefore,  that  my  enemy  did  not  make  a 

Si  a 


82  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

reappearance  until  I  was  provided  for  him.  When  the 
new  Mercedes  was  delivered  to  me  I  was  delighted 
with  it,  especially  when  I  found  on  cay  return  from 
the  trial  run  the  engines  worked  as  smoothly  as  when 
I  started. 

The  other  reason  why  I  did  not  regret  the  Pirate's 
quiescence  was  because  of  the  opportunity  afforded  me 
of  cementing  the  friendship  which  had  grown  up  be- 
tween myself  and  the  detective.  It  became  a  very 
real  and  warm  friendship  during  those  long  idle  days. 
He  upset  all  my  preconceived  notions  of  the  police,  at 
least  as  regards  the  detective  portion  of  the  force,  he 
was  such  an  all-round  man.  He  had  not  allowed  his 
undoubted  powers  of  observation  to  be  entirely  con- 
centrated upon  the  seamy  side  of  his  profession.  Judg- 
ing from  his  conversation,  I  gathered  that  he  knew  quite 
as  much  about  modern  French  literature  as  he  did 
about  French  criminals,  and  of  the  latter  his  knowledge 
was  both  extensive  and  interesting.  I  remember  on 
one  occasion  that  he  gave  me  a  really  acute  criticism 
of  the  Verlain  school,  with  special  relation  to  the  effects 
of  decadent  literature  on  national  life.  But  that  is 
only  one  example  of  his  scope.  Wherever  he  had  been 
and  whatever  he  had  done,  had  apparently  awakened 
in  him  the  desire  to  see  all  round  the  case  he  was 
investigating,  and  being  possessed  of  a  well  -  trained 
memory,  his  mind  was  a  storehouse  of  curious  know- 
ledge. 

Let  me  give  one  instance.     One  evening  when  we 


MURDER  83 

were  driving  slowly  along  a  bye-road  in  the  vicinity 
of  Uxbridge,  in  accordance  with  our  preconceived  plan 
— the  Mercddes  had  not  then  arrived,  and  our  progress 
was  additionally  slow  as  the  roads  were  exceedingly 
heavy,  as  rain  had  been  falling  daily  ever  since  the 
night  I  had  been  arrested — suddenly  my  companion 
said — 

"Do  you  know  anything  of  Persian  poetry,  Mr. 
Sutgrove  ? " 

As  it  happened,  owing  to  the  fact  that  a  Sutgrove 
had  once  represented  his  country  at  the  Persian  court, 
I  had  a  slight  knowledge  of  the  subject,  and  I  said  so. 

"  I  am  never  out  of  doors  on  a  spring  evening,"  he 
continued,  "  without  wishing  I  had  the  time  to  acquire 
a  knowledge  of  it." 

"Why?"  I  asked. 

"  It's  this  way,"  he  replied.  **  On  one  of  my  jobs 
— a  show  job,  attendance  on  a  distinguished  visitor, 
don't  you  know — I  was  thrown  a  great  deal  into  the 
company  of  a  Persian  gentleman,  and  we  did  our  best 
to  learn  something  of  each  other's  languages.  He  taught 
me  out  of  Hafiz,  and  I  picked  up  just  enough  to  make 
me  wish  for  more.  Listen  to  this." 

He  recited  to  me  one  of  the  shorter  poems  from  the 
Divan. 

"  Isn't  that  musical  ?  "  he  continued.  *  It  seems 
to  me  to  have  the  real  poetry  of  the  spring  evening 
in  it." 

I  agreed  with  him,  and  we  were  silent  for  a  while. 


84 

Later  he  asked  me  diffidently  not  to  mention  to  any  one 
his  penchant  for  Persian  poetry. 

"  Even  at  the  Yard,"  he  explained,  "I  doubt  whether 
they  would  put  it  down  to  my  credit." 

I  gave  him  the  assurance  he  asked  for,  and  from  that 
rime  forth  I  came  to  look  upon  him  as  a  personal  friend, 
f  confided  wholly  to  him  the  hopes  I  entertained  in 
regard  to  my  love  affair  ;  and  he  assured  me  that  if  he 
had  anything  to  do  with  it,  I  should  also  have  a  hand  in 
the  arrest  of  the  Pirate. 

All  our  time  was  not  spent,  however,  in  pleasant 
excursions  about  the  country.  Forrest  was  by  no  means 
idle  ;  he  had  been  busy  perfecting  his  scheme  for  utilizing 
the  telegraph  in  notifying  the  Pirate's  reappearance 
when  it  should  be  made.  Then  he  had  in  addition 
thoroughly  and  minutely  explored  the  whole  of  the 
country  round,  to  see  if  any  trace  of  the  strange  visitor 
were  obtainable.  His  endeavours  were  quite  fruitless, 
but  he  still  held  to  his  belief  that  he  could  not  be  far 
away ;  and  the  next  time  the  Pirate  did  make  his  appear- 
ance he  was  confirmed  in  his  opinion. 

The  weather  had  been  fine  for  three  days  in  succes- 
sion, there  had  been  a  drying  breeze,  and  the  roads  from 
sloppy  quagmires  became  in  such  perfect  condition  that 
I  was  looking  forward  to  a  really  good  spin.  But 
Forrest  had  other  views  for  the  evening  of  the  third 
day. 

"  I  don't  think,**  he  remarked,  as  he  sipped  his  coffee 
after  our  early  dinner,  "  we  can  afford  to  spend  the 


MURDER  85 

night  ranging  the  highways.  Business  first  and  pleasure 
afterwards/' 

"I  thought  you  were  of  opinion  that  our  friend 
will  be  tempted  to  make  his  reappearance  to-night  ? "  I 
remarked. 

"  I  am,"  he  answered  ;  "  and  therefore  the  best  thing 
we  can  do  is  to  wait  until  we  hear  in  which  direction 
he  makes  his  reappearance.  If  we  wait  in  St.  AJbans 
at  the  end  of  the  telegraph  wire,  we  shall  be  much  more 
likely  to  meet  him  than  running  about  at  random.*' 

There  was  so  much  good  sense  in  the  suggestion  that 
I  resigned  myself  to  the  inevitable  waste  of  time,  and 
I  had  my  reward.  About  eleven  a  message  came  over 
the  wire  :  "  Motor  Pirate  seen  near  Towcester  going 
in  the  direction  of  Daventry." 

"  How  far  is  Towcester  ? "  asked  Forrest,  the  moment 
he  heard  the  message. 

"  Roughly,  I  should  say  forty  miles,"  1  answered. 

"  We  ought  to  manage  it  within  the  hour,  then,"  he 
remarked.  "  Come  along." 

Without  another  word  we  seated  ourselves  in  the 
car,  and  with  a  continuous  toot-toot  of  the  horn  we 
rolled  out  of  the  town.  Directly  we  were  clear  of  the 
houses,  I  jammed  on  the  highest  speed.  I  cannot  say 
that  I  felt  quite  comfortable,  for  though  I  knew  the  road, 
the  night  was  very  dark,  the  light  we  threw  ahead  was 
so  bright  as  to  dazzle  my  eyes,  and  hitherto  I  had  no 
experience  of  driving  a  6o-h.p.  motor  at  top  speed 
through  the  darkness.  My  companion's  wng-frtid  soon 


86  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

reassured  me,  however,  and  as  soon  as  we  were  fairly 
going,  the  sting  of  the  night  air  as  it  whipped  my  cheeks 
brought  a  sense  of  exhilaration  which  would  have  sufficed 
to  banish  my  fears  had  there  been  time  to  have  enter- 
tained any.  But  there  was  not.  If  you  have  ever 
driven  a  speedy  automobile  at  top  speed  through  a  dark 
night,  you  will  readily  understand  that  there  is  little 
opportunity  for  the  brain  to  cultivate  imaginary  perils. 
If  you  do  not  believe  me,  try  it  for  yourself  and  see. 

In  about  sixteen  minutes  we  were  at  Dunstable. 
Passing  through  the  town  slowly,  Forrest  got  news  that 
the  police  were  watching  all  the  roads,  but  that  nothing 
had  been  seen  there  of  the  Pirate.  Another  quarter  of 
an  hour  brought  us  to  Fenny  Stratford.  Here  we  wasted 
another  minute  or  so  in  obtaining  similar  negative  inform- 
ation. By  this  time  I  was  feeling  confidence  in  my  car 
and  in  my  powers  to  manage  it.  Once  clear  of  the 
houses  again,  I  let  her  rip  for  all  she  was  worth ;  we 
simply  flew  along.  With  my  right  hand  on  the  wheel, 
my  feet  on  the  two  pedals,  I  sat  as  tense  as  a  fiddle  string, 
my  one  object  to  peer  into  the  road  ahead. 

We  had  covered  ten  of  the  fifteen  miles  between 
Stratford  and  Towcester,  when  I  became  aware  of  a 
deeper  blotch  on  the  blackness  ahead.  With  one  move- 
ment I  pressed  down  the  clutch  and  jammed  on  the 
breaks.  I  was  just  in  time.  The  car  pulled  up  in  its 
own  length,  though  it  swerved  to  such  an  extent  that 
I  thought  we  should  be  overturned. 

There,  standing  still  within  the  circle  of  our  lights, 


MURDER  87 

was  another  motor-car.  It  had  no  lamps  burning,  but 
it  was  shivering  with  the  vibration  of  its  engine  running 
free. 

"The  Pirate!"  I  shouted. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  said  Forrest,  jumping  down  and 
approaching  the  stranger. 

I  followed  his  example,  and  the  first  thing  I  observed 
about  the  car  was  that  all  the  lights  were  out,  and  I 
wondered  that  any  motorist  in  his  senses  should  have 
courted  the  accident  which  so  nearly  occurred. 

There  was  one  occupant  of  the  car,  and  he  was 
sitting  bolt  upright  with  one  hand  on  a  lever  beside  him. 
I  shouted  something  at  him  angrily  as  I  approached,  but 
he  made  no  response. 

"  Hullo  !  Are  you  asleep,  sir  ?  "  said  Forrest,  as  he 
put  one  foot  on  the  step  and  grasped  the  silent  motorist 
by  the  arm. 

There  was  no  reply.  I  saw  Forrest  leave  his  hold 
on  the  stranger,  and,  stepping  back  into  the  road,  draw 
his  hand  across  his  brow. 

"  My  God  1 "  he  muttered. 

"What  is  it?"  I  asked. 

Forrest  caught  his  breath  sharply.  **A  piece  more 
of  the  Motor  Pirate's  work,  I  fancy,"  he  said  slowly  ; 
**  and  this  time,  I  think  it  spells — murder." 

For  a  minute  I  stood  absolutely  still.  It  was  one  of 
the  most  eerie  moments  of  my  life.  Above  and  about 
us  the  black  night,  beside  us  the  two  cars  coughing 
and  grunting  as  if  anxious  to  be  moving,  and  that  silent 


88  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

figure  sitting  up  erect  upon  his  seat,  utterly  unconscious 
of  the  two  persons  standing  watching  him  with  horror- 
stricken  faces. 

Forrest's  voice,  clear,  cool,  incisive,  brought  me  to 
myself. 

"One  of  your  lamps  here,  Sutgrove,  if  you  can 
manage  it." 

I  took  a  lamp  from  its  socket,  and  held  it  while  the 
detective  made  a  brief  inspection.  It  took  him  a  very 
siiort  time  to  assure  him  that  his  surmise  was  near  the 
truth. 

It  was  murder. 

Right  in  the  centre  of  the  forehead  of  the  silent 
figure  was  a  small  blue  hole,  so  cleanly  drilled  that  it 
scarcely  marred  the  features  of  the  dead  man.  One 
hand  still  grasped  the  lever,  the  other  had  dropped 
slightly.  When  the  light  fell  upon  it,  I  perceived  the 
fingers  to  be  tightly  clasped  about  the  butt  of  a  revolver. 

Forrest  lifted  the  hand  and  glanced  at  the  weapon. 
"  One  cartridge  discharged,'*  he  said.  "  Surely  it  cannot 
be  a  case  of  suicide  ? " 

Just  at  that  moment  I  caught  sight  of  a  piece  of 
paper  pinned  to  the  dead  man's  coat.  I  pointed  it  out  to 
Forrest.  He  unfolded  it,  glanced  at  it,  and  handed  it  to 
me  without  a  word. 

It  was  just  a  half  sheet  of  ordinary  paper  used  for 
typeing,  and  upon  it  was  typed  the  following  sentence — 

"This  is  the  fate  awaiting  those  who  venture  to 
resist  the  Motor  Pirate." 


MURDER  89 

**  That  would  seem  to  settle  the  question  as  to  whcthe* 
this  is  a  case  of  suicide  or  not,"  I  said,  handing  back  the 
paper  to  the  inspector. 

"  H'm  !  At  all  events  the  inquest  will,"  he  replied. 
"  I'm  afraid  in  any  case  this  ends  our  pursuit  for  the 
night,"  he  continued.  "  I  think  I  must  ask  you  to  run 
on  to  the  nearest  town  for  assistance.  Have  you  any  idea 
of  our  whereabouts  ?  *" 

By  calculating  the  time  which  had  elapsed  since 
leaving  Stratford  with  the  pace  at  which  we  had  been 
travelling,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  we  were  not  very 
far  from  Towcester,  and  I  suggested  I  had  better  go 
there. 

"  All  right ;  cut  along  then.     Revolver  handy  ?  " 

I  replied  in  the  affirmative  as  I  mounted  my  car. 

"Wait  one  moment,"  he  called  as  I  was  starting; 
"  and  bring  your  light  on  a  bit." 

I  did  as  I  was  directed.  Forrest  took  one  of  the 
lamps  and  walked  for  five  yards  up  the  road,  examining 
carefully  every  inch  of  the  roadway.  At  last  he  paused. 

"  Here  is  where  the  Pirate's  motor  stopped,"  he  said  ; 
and,  plumping  down  upon  his  knees,  he  examined  the 
surface  carefully.  Then,  taking  a  tape  from  his  pocket, 
he  made  a  series  of  measurements. 

I  inquired  what  he  was  doing.  He  grunted  in  reply. 
When  he  had  finished  he  remarked — 

u  Nothing  much  to  be  got  out  of  that.  Judging 
from  my  measurements,  our  friend  might  be  driving  a 
Daimler." 


90  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

Another  thought  struck  him,  i.ad,  before  starting,  he 
asked  me  to  lend  him  a  hand  in  getting  the  other  car  to 
the  side  of  the  road,  in  case  any  one  else  came  along  and 
fell  upon  the  fate  we  had  so  narrowly  escaped.  Then 
I  was  at  liberty  to  proceed,  and,  getting  once  more  into 
my  own  vehicle,  I  let  the  Mercedes  drive  ahead. 

But  my  nerve  had  gone.  Every  moment  I  fancied 
weird  shapes  in  the  blackness  before  me.  Every  moment 
I  heard  in  my  ears  the  strange  humming  of  the  Pirate. 
Yet  I  dared  not  look  round,  lest  I  should  in  that  instant 
come  upon  him  unawares  in  the  shadows  in  front. 

Fortunately  I  had  no  long  distance  to  traverse. 
Soon  friendly  lights  broke  the  darkness.  Slackening 
pace,  I  found  myself  in  the  well-ordered  streets  of  a  little 
town.  The  second  person  I  met  was  a  policeman,  and, 
hailing  him,  I  bade  him  jump  on  the  car  and  direct  me 
to  the  police-station.  Nothing  loth,  he  obeyed. 

I  have  an  idea  that  the  story  I  told  the  sergeant  in 
charge  was  more  than  a  little  incoherent,  but  he  under- 
stood me  sufficiently  to  become  aware  that  his  presence 
was  required  immediately  at  the  scene  of  a  crime,  and 
he  gave  me  to  understand  that  he  was  ready  to  accom- 
pany me  forthwith.  Then  I  remembered  Forrest  asking 
me  to  see  that  the  services  of  a  medical  man  were  ob- 
tained, in  order  that  he  might  make  an  examination  of 
the  body  before  its  removal,  and  I  mentioned  the  matter 
to  the  sergeant.  He  at  once  gave  instructions  to  the 
constable  who  had  guided  me  to  the  station  to  knock  up 
a  doctor  and  follow  us  at  once  with  him,  so  there  was 


MURDER  91 

verjr  little  delay  before  I  was  once  more  driving  mjr  car 
at  full  speed  towards  the  scene  of  the  tragedy. 

By  this  time  my  nerve  had  returned.  One  reason 
may  have  been  that  I  had  taken  advantage  of  the  slight 
delay,  occasioned  by  the  sergeant  giving  instructions  to 
his  subordinate,  to  brace  myself  with  a  stiff  whisky-and- 
soda  from  the  small  supply  I  carried  on  the  car  for 
emergencies.  Now,  too,  I  had  the  companionship  of 
another  able-bodied  man  on  the  car  with  me.  I  felt  that, 
even  if  the  mysterious  murderer  were  to  make  his  appear- 
ance, I  should  have  a  better  chance  of  tackling  him. 

We  were  not  long  in  reaching  our  destination.  In 
fact  a  very  few  minutes  elapsed  before  we  came  to  the 
spot  where  the  motor-car  stood,  with  the  rigid  figure  of 
its  owner  still  in  the  position  I  had  left  him.  I  pulled 
up  beside  the  derelict. 

"  Hallo,  Forrest !  "  I  shouted. 

There  was  no  answer.  The  detective  had  di*» 
appeared. 


EXPLAINS    A    MYSTERIOUS    OibAPPEARANCl 

I  SPRANG  to  the  ground  by  the  side  of  the  death-car. 
It  was  standing  by  the  side  of  the  road,  just  as  I  had  left 
it,  its  silent  owner  sitting  rigidly  erect,  still  grasping  the 
lever,  and  looking  fixedly  into  the  darkness. 

44  Forrest  !  Forrest  ! "  I  shouted  again. 

All  was  silent  as  the  grave. 

It  was  very  strange.  He  had  promised  to  await  my 
return.  1  looked  at  my  watch.  Altogether  half  an 
hour  had  not  elapsed  since  my  departure.  Yet  many 
things  might  happen  in  half  an  hour  with  such  a  spirit 
of  death  abroad  as  1  knew  to  be  hovering  around.  I 
shivered. 

The  police  sergeant  was  as  much  bewildered  at 
Forrest's  disappearance  as  myself.  On  our  way,  I  had 
explained  more  fully  the  circumstances  under  which  we 
had  discovered  the  crime  which  had  been  committed. 
He  knew  my  companion  by  name  and  reputation,  and 
he  was  quite  at  a  loss  to  explain  his  absence. 

I  scanned  the  road  so  far  as  it  was  revealed  by  our 
lights,  half  expecting  yet  dreading  to  see  his  prostrate 

92 


EXPLAINS  A   DISAPPEARANCE     93 

form.  But  there  was  nothing  visible.  Each  taking  a 
lamp  from  my  car,  the  sergeant  and  I  set  out  to  search 
the  hedges  and  ditches  on  each  side  of  the  road.  We 
did  so  conscientiously  for  a  hundred  yards  up  and  down 
the  road,  and  on  each  side,  but  found  nothing. 

When  we  got  back  to  the  car,  the  sergeant  said  to  me — 

"  Perhaps  Mr.  Forrest  has  found  a  clue,  and  thought 
he  would  waste  no  time  in  following  it  up." 

The  suggestion  seemed  feasible  enough,  but  just  at 
that  moment  my  glance  fell  on  something  at  my  feet 
which  put  the  idea  to  flight.  Lying  on  the  road  was 
a  large  button.  I  picked  it  up.  I  saw  at  once  that  it 
had  been  torn  violently  away  from  the  garment  to  which 
it  had  been  attached,  for  a  piece  of  the  cloth  had  come 
away  with  it.  I  looked  at  it  narrowly — the  cloth  was 
of  the  same  material  as  the  overcoat  Forrest  had  been 
wearing. 

The  button  had  been  almost  under  the  wheels  of  my 
car,  so  I  backed  the  Mercedes  a  few  yards,  and  looked 
about  for  further  traces.  In  the  space  thus  laid  bare  there 
lay  a  lamp  smashed  to  pieces.  I  picked  up  the  frame, 
and  saw  that  it  was  one  of  the  lamps  taken  from  the 
other  motor.  Further  search  only  revealed  another 
button  similarly  attached  to  a  shred  of  cloth  like  the 
first  one  I  had  found.  That  was  all. 

The  sergeant  looked  at  me  and  I  at  him.  One 
thought  was  in  both  our  minds,  and  we  gave  utterance 
to  it  simultaneously. 

"The  Motor  Pirate  has  been  back  again." 


94  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

"You  must  have  scared  him  away  the  first  time, 
and  on  his  return  to  complete  the  job  he  found  the 
inspector  here,  and " 

The  sergeant  did  not  complete  his  sentence,  but 
glanced  apprehensively  up  and  down  the  road. 

"If  he  has  returned,  I  don't  see  what  he  can  have 
done  with  Forrest,"  I  replied. 

"  Heaven  knows ! "  the  man  replied,  involuntarily 
lowering  his  voice.  "I — I  begin  to  believe  that  this 
Motor  Pirate  is — is  the  Devil." 

"  Nonsense,  man  !  "  I  said  sharply. 

To  tell  the  truth,  my  own  nerves,  in  spite  of  the 
whisky,  were  in  none  too  firm  a  condition ; .  and  I  knew 
it  would  be  fatal  to  allow  myself  to  become  infected  by 
the  very  obvious  funk  which  had  seized  upon  my  com- 
panion. I  felt,  however,  I  must  be  doing  something 
unless  I  wanted  to  succumb. 

"Look  here,"  I  said,  **you  wait  by  the  car  a  few 
minutes,  while  I  go  two  or  three  hundred  yards  further 
up  the  road,  to  see  if  I  can  find  any  other  traces." 

"I — I  would  much  rather  you — you  didn't  leave 
me,"  stammered  the  sergeant.  "It's  bad  enough  for 
there  to  be  only  the  two  of  us." 

"Come,  pull  yourself  together,"  I  replied  roughly. 
"  There's  nothing  to  be  afraid  of." 

"I  don't  think  I  can  stand  being  left  here  alone," 
repeated  the  sergeant. 

"Very  well;  you  had  better  come  along  with  me 
then,"  I  replied. 


EXPLAINS   A   DISAPPEARANCE     95 

He  jumped  into  the  car  beside  me  with  alacrity,  and 
I  started  the  motor,  though  not  until  I  had  arranged 
my  revolver  handily  at  my  side.  We  went  for  a  mile 
at  our  slowest  pace  in  the  direction  of  Stratford,  and 
finding  nothing,  we  returned,  and  covered  the  same 
distance  in  the  direction  of  Towccstcr,  with  a  similar 
result.  Our  progress  was  brought  to  a  termination  by 
our  meeting  with  a  trap  containing  the  doctor,  who 
was  accompanied  by  a  couple  of  constables.  When  we 
recognized  who  was  approaching,  the  change  that  came 
over  the  demeanour  of  the  sergeant  was  astonishing. 
All  his  courage  came  back  to  him.  He  talked  to  me 
quite  easily  as  we  returned  to  the  scene  of  the  outrage 
with  the  trap  keeping  close  behind  us ;  and  when  we 
pulled  up,  he  took  control  of  the  proceedings  as  if  he 
had  never  felt  a  moment's  tremor  in  his  life.  He  must 
have  observed  my  astonishment,  for  he  took  me  aside 
and  said — 

**I  was  a  bit  overcome  just  now,  sir.  You  won't 
mention  it  before  my  men." 

"Certainly  not,"  I  answered*  "I  was  only  one 
degree  better  myself." 

"That's  enough  to  make  any  one  feel  creepy,"  he 
said,  jerking  his  thumb  towards  the  silent  figure. 

We  did  nothing  but  stand  about  and  talk  in  subdued 
tones,  until  the  doctor  had  completed  his  examination 
of  the  silent  figure  by  the  light  of  my  lamps.  It  did 
not  last  long. 

"Death  was  instantaneous,"  he  said,  as  he  stepped 


96  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

down  from  the  car.  "  The  bullet  appears  to  have  passed 
straight  along  the  longitudinal  sinus,  and,  as  near  as  I 
can  tell,  he  must  have  been  dead  about  an  hour." 

"You  would  like  to  make  a  more  extensive  exami- 
nation, I  suppose,  doctor  ? "  said  the  sergeant. 

"  If  a  suitable  place  were  available,"  he  replied. 

The  sergeant  mentioned  an  inn  at  a  village  not  far 
distant,  and,  the  doctor  acquiescing,  arrangements  were 
at  once  made  for  conveying  the  body  there,  the 
sergeant  and  I  setting  out  in  advance  to  provide  foi 
its  reception. 

I  am  not  going  into  any  further  detail  regarding  the 
proceedings  of  that  night.  Indeed  I  can  to-day  scarcely 
recall  them.  I  know  that  I  waited  at  the  inn  for  a 
long  while  after  the  melancholy  cortege  arrived,  and  that 
I  felt  curiously  dazed  amidst  all  the  bustle  caused  by 
the  arrival.  I  remember  eventually  driving  the  sergeant 
back  to  Towcester,  and  making  to  him  a  long  statement, 
which  he  took  down  in  writing. 

By  the  time  1  had  completed  this  statement  day  had 
dawned.  I  shall  never  forget  my  impressions  of  that 
early  morning  as  I  rode  home  alone.  The  birds  were 
twittering  in  the  hedgerows,  a  soft  white  mist  hung  low 
down  over  the  meadows,  all  nature  was  so  serene  and 
peaceful  that  it  was  difficult  to  imagine  that  the  night 
which  had  passed  had  been  so  full  of  horror  and  mystery. 
I  felt  as  one  awakened  from  a  dream.  But  on  my  way 
I  passed  the  deserted  motor-car.  A  constable  was  beside 
it,  and  I  pulled  up  to  speak  to  him. 


EXPLAINS   A   DISAPPEARANCE     97 

**  Seen  nothing  of  Inspector  Forrest,  I  suppose  ?  **  I 
asked. 

"  Nothing/'  he  replied. 

I  gave  him  good  morning  and  got  on.  I  made 
similar  inquiries  at  Fenny  Stratford,  and  again  at  Dun- 
stable,  still  without  result.  I  comforted  myself  with  the 
thought  that  at  St.  Albans  I  should  certainly  hear  news 
of  him.  But  no.  I  found  the  police  wild  with  excite- 
ment, but  entirely  without  any  information  as  to  what 
had  become  of  the  missing  detective.  1  found,  however, 
that  they  did  not  share  my  forebodings  as  to  anything 
serious  having  happened  to  him.  Their  view  was  that 
he  had  discovered  some  clue,  and  was  hard  upon  the 
track  of  the  murderer.  I  had  to  give  them  a  complete 
history  of  the  events  of  the  night.  But  I  got  away  at 
last,  and  reached  home  as  tired  as  I  had  ever  been  in 
my  life. 

I  took  a  bath  as  hot  as  I  could  bear  it,  and  went 
straight  to  bed.  I  was  dead  beat,  and  I  fell  asleep 
instantly. 

I  awoke  some  time  in  the  afternoon,  and  when  I 
had  got  the  sleep  out  of  my  eyes,  and  the  events  of  the 
previous  night  came  back  to  me,  I  felt  inclined  to  curse 
myself  for  having  thought  of  resting.  I  felt  certain  that 
if  it  had  been  myself  who  was  missing,  Forrest  would 
not  have  slept  until  he  had  discovered  something  con- 
cerning my  fate.  I  made  a  hasty  meal  while  dressing, 
and  ordered  my  car  to  be  brought  round.  Directly  it 
appeared  I  hurried  off  to  St.  Albans. 


98  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

Nothing  had  been  seen  or  heard  there  of  Forrest, 
and  once  more  I  set  out  upon  the  road  I  had  traversed 
the  previous  night.  Again  I  rode  as  far  as  Towcester. 
I  had  a  chat  with  the  sergeant  of  police,  and  found  that, 
though  search  parties  had  scoured  the  country  round  for 
miles,  no  intelligence  had  been  obtained.  I  made 
arrangements  to  appear  at  the  inquest  on  the  following 
day,  and  returned  to  St.  Albans.  Still  no  news. 

I  got  home  again  about  seven,  sick  at  heart.  I  had 
counted  so  much  upon  Forrest's  assistance  in  the  fulfil- 
ment of  my  vow  ;  but  that  was  only  a  secondary  con- 
sideration now.  I  had  grown  to  like  him  so  much,  that 
the  idea  that  he  had  met  with  any  mischance  knocked 
me  over  completely.  I  went  into  my  study  and  threw 
myself  moodily  into  a  chair.  My  man  brought  me  in 
some  whisky,  and  hovered  about  until  I  told  him 
to  go. 

"  You  were  going  to  dine  at  Mr.  Winter's  to-night, 
*ir,  with  Mr.  Forrest,"  he  reminded  me. 

The  engagement  had  completely  passed  from  my 
memory. 

**  I  shall  be  unable  to  go,  Wilson,"  1  said. 

**  They  haven't  found  Mr.  Forrest,  then,  sir  ? "  said 
the  man  respectfully.  He  was  simply  brimming  ovet 
with  curiosity. 

"  No.  I'm  afraid  we  shall  never  see  him  alive  again," 
I  groaned. 

"  Dear  me !  Not  so  bad  as  that,  I  hope,  sir,"  he 
responded  sympathetically,  as  he  still  lingered. 


EXPLAINS   A   DISAPPEARANCE     99 

**  Not  half  so  bad  as  that,  Wilson,"  remarked  a  cheery 
voice  just  outside  the  door. 

My  man  started,  and  I  jumped  to  my  feet  with  a 
shout  of  welcome. 

"  Forrest  I  Forrest  I "  I  cried.    **  Come  along  in,  man." 

"  Well,  if  I  may  ? "  replied  Forrest's  voice. 

"  If    you     may  I  *'     I    answered.       "  Why — what 

»v._          ? " 

tne I 

My  astonishment  at  the  appearance  he  presented  as 
he  entered  the  room  choked  my  further  utterance. 

The  man  who  entered  was  a  veritable  scarecrow. 
A  man  with  a  torn  coat  and  rent  trowsers,  and  a  battered 
hat  which  barely  held  together  upon  his  head.  He  was 
covered  from  head  to  foot  with  mud.  His  face  was  dirty, 
unshaven,  disreputable. 

**  Forrest  ?  Is  it  indeed  you  f "  I  could  not  but  ask, 
when  my  speech  returned  to  me. 

"  I  don't  ask  you  to  recognize  me  until  I  have  had 
a  bath  and  a  shave,"  he  replied.  "But  when  I  have 
sacrificed  to  Hygeia,  I  expect  to  be  presentable  enough 
to  dine  with  Mr.  Winter  to-night.  I've  been  wondering 
all  day  whether  I  should  manage  to  get  here  in  time. 
Meanwhile,  the  least  spot  of  whisky " 

I  could  not  express  my  delight  at  his  return,  and 
unthinkingly  I  poured  out  nearly  a  tumbler  of  the  neat 
spirit,  and  felt  almost  hurt  when  he  returned  all  but  one 
finger  to  the  decanter. 

"If  you  give  me  a  dose  like  that,  I  shall  certainly 
be  unable  to  accompany  you,"  he  said. 


xoo 

I  could  curb  my  curiosity  no  longer.  I  burst  out 
with  a.  string  of  questions. 

"Where  have  you  been  ?  What  has  happened  to 
you  ?  Why  did  you  disappear  ?  How " 

He  stopped  me.  "So  that's  why  you  gave  me  all 
rhat  whisky.  You  wanted  to  make  me  talk,  eh  ?  '* 

I  laughingly  disassociated  myself  from  any  such  in- 
tention, and,  putting  the  curb  on  my  curiosity,  I  turned 
him  over  to  Wilson  to  be  valeted  out  of  the  semblance 
to  a  tramp. 

The  process  took  some  time,  and  when  he  came 
downstairs  in  irreproachable  evening  clothes,  there  was 
no  time  for  him  to  give  me  the  history  of  his  adventures 
unless  we  were  to  miss  our  dinner. 

"  And  that,"  declared  Forrest,  "  I  absolutely  refuse  to 
do ;  for,  with  the  exception  of  sixpenny  worth  of  rum  and  a 
crust  of  bread  and  cheese,  nothing  has  passed  my  lips  since 
dinner  last  night." 

"  Then  you  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  the  Winters  arc 
punctual  people,"  I  remarked  as  we  at  once  set  out  for  my 
neighbour's  house. 

"  I  suppose,"  he  said,  as  we  reached  our  destination, "  I 
may  count  upon  you  not  referring  to  the  plight  in  which 
I  returned  to  your  place  ?  I  should  not  care  for  it  to  get 
abroad  that  the  Pirate  had  got  the  better  of  me  on  the 
first  occasion  of  our  meeting." 

**  Then  you  have  seen  him  ?  "     I  cried  eagerly. 

"  Seen  him  ! "  Forrest  ejaculated  in  reply.  "  Seen 
him  I  After  dinner  you  shall  have  a  full,  true  and 


EXPLAINS   A   DISAPPEARANCE     101 

particular  account  of  all  that's  happened.  Until  then — 
well,  assume  you  know  everything  but  are  not  at  liberty 
to  divulge  anything." 

I  was  as  much  at  home  in  Winter's  house  as  in  my 
own,  so  I  did  not  trouble  to  ring  and  Forrest  followed  me 
in.  I  had  forgotten  that  his  appearance  was  likely  to 
create  as  great  a  sensation  there  as  it  had  caused  me.  I 
entered  the  drawing-room  first,  Forrest  being  a  little  be- 
hind. Mrs.  Winter,  a  fluffy-haired  little  woman  with 
blue  baby  eyes,  baby  lips,  and  a  most  engaging  little  baby 
dimple,  was  the  centre  of  the  party  gathered  there.  The 
other  women  were  Miss  Maitland  and  Mrs.  Winter's 
twin  sister,  who  reproduced  the  hair,  lips,  eyes  and  dimple 
with  such  exactness  that  it  was  always  a  puzzle  to  me  how 
Winter  had  managed  to  make  up  his  mind  between  them. 
About  them  were  gathered  Colonel  Maitland,  Mannering, 
Winter  himself,  and  another  man  whom  he  had  brought 
down  with  him  from  town  that  day.  The  subject  of 
conversation,  I  learned  afterwards,  had  been  entirely  de- 
voted to  Forrest's  disappearance,  and  when  they  caught 
sight  of  him  the  effect  was  electrical.  The  ladies  all 
jumped  to  their  feet,  the  twin  sisters  screamed  in  unison, 
the  men  stood  stock  still.  Mannering  appeared  to  be  the 
most  astonished,  for  he  turned  pale  and  his  lips  became 
livid.  Before  any  one  could  say  a  word,  however,  the 
door  opened  again  and  the  butler  announced  dinner  in  an 
impassive  voice,  which  sent  everybody  into  convulsions  of 
laughter. 

We  filed  into  dinner  a  particularly  merry  party.     Mrs. 


THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

Winter  had  arranged  for  me  to  take  in  Miss  Maitland,  and 
the  fact  that  Mannering  obviously  resented  the  arrange- 
ment added  a  great  deal  to  my  good  humour.  The  fact 
of  Forrest  being  the  lion  of  the  evening  did  not  disturb 
me  at  all.  Indeed  I  was  glad  some  one  else  had  to  parry 
the  numberless  questions  put  to  him  respecting  his  dis- 
appearance. 

He  fenced  them  remarkably  well,  though  of  course, 
when  cornered,  he  could  always  fall  back  upon  the  excuse 
of  his  mouth  being  closed  by  the  official  pledge  of  secrecy. 

Needless  to  say,  only  one  topic  was  mooted,  and  I 
should  not  have  referred  to  it  had  not  the  man  whom 
Winter  had  brought  from  town  said  something  which,  I 
found  afterwards,  had  some  bearing  on  future  events. 
This  person  was  a  diamond  merchant  in  his  business  hours, 
and  after  the  ladies  had  left  us,  he  expressed  the  opinion 
that  it  was  a  good  thing  the  Motor  Pirate  confined  his 
attentions  to  fellow  motorists. 

"  If,  for  instance,"  he  remarked,  "  he  were  to  take  it 
into  his  head  to  hold  up  the  Brighton  Parcels  Mail  to- 
morrow night,  he  would  make  one  of  the  best-known 
firms  in  Hatton  Garden  feel  very  sick." 

"  How's  that  ? "  asked  Mannering,  carelessly.  He  had 
quite  recovered  from  the  temporary  shock  which  Forrest's 
unexpected  appearance  had  occasioned  him. 

"Well,  I  heard  they  are  sending  off  a  particularly 
valuable  collection  of  stones  by  registered  parcel  post  to- 
morrow," he  answered. 

"  Seems  a  silly  thing  to  do,"  commented  Winter. 


103 

**  I  don't  know  about  that,"  was  the  reply.  "  Their 
theory  is  that  the  chances  of  robbery  are  infinitely  less 
than  by  any  other  method  of  forwarding.  They  have 
followed  the  practice  for  years,  and  hitherto  have  never 
made  a  loss.  You  see,  no  one  knows  anything  about  it 
except  the  principal,  who  takes  the  packet  to  the  post 
office.  He  registers  it  at  St.  Martin's,  and  the  packet  is 
immediately  placed  amongst  a  number  of  parcels  of  all 
sorts,  shapes  and  sizes  j  and  the  chance  of  a  casual  thief 
selecting  that  particular  parcel,  even  if  he  had  the  chance, 
are  at  least  a  hundred  to  one,  while  it  is  well  known  that 
the  postal  employee  who  steals  always  lets  the  registered 
letter  severely  alorte." 

The  subject  was  not  pursued  further,  and  soon  after 
we  joined  the  ladies.  The  party  broke  up  early,  and  I 
was  not  sorry,  for  I  could  see  Forrest  was  tired  and  I 
wanted  to  get  his  story  from  him  before  he  turned  in. 
But  when  we  were  back  in  my  snuggery,  I  found  that  he 
considered  it  necessary  to  report  himself  at  St.  Albans.  I 
was  on  the  telephone,  so  I  suggested  its  use,  and  he  jumped 
at  the  idea.  After  some  little  difficulty  we  managed  to 
get  a  message  through  to  the  police-station.  Then  settling 
down  into  an  easy  chair  with  a  great  sigh  of  content,  he 
reeled  out  an  account  of  his  adventures. 


CHAPTER   X 

DESCRIBING    A    RIDE    WITH    THE    PIRATE 

"WHEN  you  left  me,"  Forrest  began,  "I  thought  1 
would  pass  the  time  until  your  return  in  making  a  still 
more  detailed  inspection  of  the  ground  than  we  had 
already  made.  I  found  I  had  no  lights.  In  order  to  get 
over  the  difficulty,  I  went  to  the  car  in  which  the  dead 
man  was  seated  and  examined  the  lamps.  They  were  in 
good  working  order,  and  I  could  see  that  their  extinction 
had  not  been  due  to  any  mischance.  Why  they  should 
have  been  put  out  and  the  machinery  of  the  car  left 
running  puzzled  me.  I  could  only  conclude  that  the 
Pirate,  after  shooting  his  victim,  had  approached  the  car 
to  plunder  him,  but  had  been  scared  away  by  the  sound 
of  our  approach.  He  must  have  turned  out  the  lights 
and  have  just  had  time  to  draw  the  car  across  the  road  to 
make  a  trap  for  us,  before  making  his  own  escape.  This 
impression  of  mine  was  confirmed  later.  I  took  one  of 
the  lamps  from  its  socket,  lit  it,  and  looked  again  at  the 
dead  body.  I  am  almost  certain  he  had  not  been 
disturbed  since  the  fated  bullet  struck  him.  His  coat 
was  closely  buttoned.  His  rug  was  wrapped  tightly 

104 


A  RIDE   WITH   THE   PIRATE     105 

round  him.  There  were  papers  in  his  coat  pocket,  and 
I  could  feel  through  the  coat  that  his  watch  and  chain 
were  still  upon  him.  When  thinking  that  the  Pirate 
could  not  be  far  off,  I  regretted  I  had  not  accompanied 
you  ;  but  remembering  you  were  well  armed,  I  reckoned 
that  if  you  did  meet  the  gentleman,  you  were  quite 
capable  of  giving  a  good  account  of  yourself — and  of 
him." 

You  who  happen  to  have  read  nay  account  of  the 
state  of  my  mind,  as  faithfully  described  in  these  pages, 
will  be  able  to  judge  how  far  my  friend's  confidence  in 
me  was  justified.  For  myself,  I  doubt  not  that  had  he 
met  me,  the  Pirate  would  have  been  able  to  add  a  second 
victim  to  that  night's  list  with  little  difficulty.  This  by 
the  way. 

"  I  did  not  make  a  very  close  examination,"  continued 
Forrest,  "since  there  would  be  plenty  of  time  for  that 
when  the  doctor  arrived.  Besides,  1  wished  him  to  see 
the  body  in  the  position  we  found  it.  So  I  turned  my 
attention  to  the  road  again,  going  over  the  surface  inch 
by  inch  in  the  most  methodical  manner.  You  never 
know,  you  see,  whether  some  trifling  object  may  not  be 
dropped  by  the  criminal  which  will  provide  a  clue.  I 
was  so  engaged  when  I  became  aware  of  a  curious 
humming  sound  in  the  air.  I  stood  upright  and  peered 
into  the  darkness.  But  my  eyes  had  become  dazzled  by 
looking  at  the  white  road  in  the  brilliant  light  of  the 
acetylene  lamp,  and  I  might  as  well  have  expected  to  be 
able  to  see  through  a  brick  wall.  The  most  sensible 


io6  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

course  to  have  pursued  would  have  been  to  extinguish 
the  lamp ;  but,  instead  of  doing  so,  I  stood  like  a  fool 
in  the  middle  of  the  road  and  waited  until  the  Pirate — 
it  was  he  without  the  slightest  doubt — swooped  down 
upon  me,  and  if  I  had  not  at  the  last  moment  leaped 
aside  I  should  have  been  bowled  over.  As  it  was,  I  just 
escaped  being  knocked  down.  The  car  pulled  up  with 
a  jerk,  and  there,  within  reach,  was  the  person  whose 
capture  would  have — well,  you  can  guess  what  it  would 
have  meant  to  me,  if  I  could  have  managed  to  get  him 
single-handed.  But  for  the  moment  I  was  so  astounded 
at  the  audacity  of  the  rascal  I  could  do  nothing.  I  was 
not  long  in  making  up  my  mind  to  have  a  shot  at 
capturing  him,  however.  I  dropped  the  lamp  to  the 
ground,  and  slipping  my  hand  into  my  pocket  I  grasped 
my  revolver.  I  knew  I  had  to  deal  with  a  desperate 
character,  but  I  was  scarcely  prepared  to  find  him  as 
physically  powerful  as  he  proved  to  be.  I  stepped  up 
dose  to  the  car  and  with  my  left  hand  made  a  grab  at 
him.  It  was  a  fruitless  attempt.  I  found  my  wrist  held 
in  a  grip  of  steel.  I  raised  my  right  with  the  revolver. 
I  was  just  a  moment  late  in  pulling  the  trigger,  for  he 
knocked  up  my  hand  and  the  bullet  went  wide.  Before 
I  had  another  chance,  he  twisted  the  weapon  out  of  my 
grasp  with  a  wrench  that  numbed  my  arm  to  the 
shoulder.  How  he  managed  to  see  in  the  dark  was  a 
mystery  to  me.  He  must  have  eyes  like  a  cat — that  man," 
Forrest  paused  to  light  another  cigarette,  and  after 
a  couple  of  puffs  he  resumed — 


A   RIDE  WITH  THE  PIRATE     107 

"  But  the  most  startling  thing  was  to  come.  Holding 
me  tightly  he  leaned  over  towards  me  and  said,  'Not 
this  time,  Inspector  Forrest.  You  may  think  you  have 
the  Motor  Pirate,  but  I  can  assure  you  that  you  were 
never  more  mistaken  in  your  life.*  Astonishment  is  not 
the  name  for  my  feelings  at  hearing  him  address  me  by 
my  name.  I  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  him  before  I 
dropped  the  lamp,  but  he  was  so  swathed  in  his  leather 
coat  and  disguised  by  his  mask,  that  I  should  never  be 
able  to  identify  him.  But  I  seemed  to  recognize  some- 
thing familiar  in  the  intonation  of  his  voice,  yet  even 
that  was  so  muffled  that  I  cannot  be  certain  I  have  ever 
heard  it  before.  However,  I  did  not  allow  my  astonish- 
ment to  prevent  me  taking  action.  I  threw  myself  sud- 
denly backwards,  hoping  the  weight  of  my  body  would 
upset  his  balance  and  drag  him  from  his  car  to  the  ground, 
where  we  should  have  been  on  more  equal  terms.  The 
jerk  moved  him  about  as  much  as  if  he  had  been  built 
into  his  car.  *  No,  you  don't,  Inspector/  he  said,  with  an 
infernal  chuckle ;  and,  so  saying,  he  leaned  over  and, 
catching  me  by  the  coat,  lifted  me  off  my  feet  and 
swung  me  up  on  to  the  car  before  him.  I'm  not  a  light 
weight,  as  you  can  guess — I  turn  the  scale  at  something 
nearer  twelve  stone  than  eleven — but  he  handled  me  as  if 
I  were  a  baby.  I  struggled  of  course,  but  my  right  arm 
was  powerless,  and  he  could  master  me  with  ease." 

"  I  suppose  it  was  during  the  struggle  that  you  lost 
the  two  buttons  from  your  overcoat  which  you  left 
behind  you  ? "  I  asked. 


io8  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

**  Most  likely,"  he  replied,  "  though  I  knew  nothing 
of  them.  Really  his  strength  seemed  diabolic.  There 
was  something  else  about  him  which  to  my  mind  scarcely 
seemed  natural.  At  all  my  struggles  he  continued  to 
laugh,  but  there  was  no  merriment  in  his  laughter,  it 
was  merely  an  even  guttural  cachinnation,  the  laugh  of 
a  fiend  at  the  aimless  struggles  of  a  lost  soul.  It  seemed 
to  give  him  immense  pleasure  to  see  me  wriggling  on  the 
smooth  curved  metal  plate  which  formed  the  front  of  his 
car.  I  grew  tired  at  last  and  lay  still,  hoping  for  a 
chance  to  better  my  position,  for  I  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  in  a  mere  trial  of  strength  he  was  immeasurably  my 
superior. 

"  When  he  saw  my  resistance  had  ceased,  he  spoke 
again.  *  J  feel  inclined  to  take  you  for  a  ride  with  me, 
Inspector,'  he  said.  *I  can  assure  you  that  you  will  find 
the  experience  a  thrilling  one.  It  is  given  to  few  men 
to  travel  with  the  Motor  Pirate.  The  pace  alone  should 
prove  exhilarating,  to  say  nothing  of  the  companionship 
and — what  awaits  you  at  the  termination  of  the  enter- 
tainment.' He  chuckled  again  as  he  concluded,  and  I 
felt  a  cold  thrill  in  the  region  of  my  spine. 

**I  made  no  reply.  What  would  have  been  the 
use  ?  But  I  do  wish  my  right  arm  had  been  of  some 
use,  for  I  think  in  my  anger  I  might  have  stood  some 
chance  of  turning  the  tables  on  him.  I  quietly  tried 
to  rub  the  feeling  back  into  it,  but  he  did  not  afford  me 
a  chance  of  doing  so  for  long.  He  produced  a  length  of 
rope  from  somewhere  or  other,  and,  before  I  gathered 


A   RIDE   WITH   THE   PIRATE      109 

what  he  was  doing,  he  had  twisted  it  round  me  and 
bound  my  arms  tightly  to  my  sides.  I  was  absolutely 
powerless,  and  I  gnashed  my  teeth  with  rage  at  the 
helpless  state  in  which  I  found  myself.  There  was  I, 
a  detective  inspector  with  a  reputation  at  the  Yard  second 
to  none,  trussed  like  a  fowl,  and  lying  on  the  slippery 
surface  of  the  Pirate  car  I  had  come  out  to  capture.'* 

"Not  exactly  a  pleasant  position,"  I  remarked,  as 
Forrest  paused  to  moisten  his  throat  with  the  whisky- 
and-soda  at  his  elbow. 

"  No  ;  but  the  worst  was  yet  to  come.  He  had  no 
sooner  secured  my  arms  than  he  drew  another  piece  of 
cord  through  the  band,  and  fastened  it  somewhere  or 
other.  *  Now,  if  ever  you  pray,  Inspector,'  he  remarked, 
with  some  more  of  his  beastly  merriment,  *  pray  that 
this  rope  doesn't  break  ;  for  if  it  should  happen  to  do 
so  at  the  pace  we  shall  be  travelling,  you  will  go  to  hell 
even  sooner  than  I  intend  you  to  do.' 

"  With  that  he  set  his  car  in  motion,  and,  judging 
by  the  way  the  wind  stung  me,  the  pace  was  something 
terrific.  At  first  I  attempted  to  pay  some  attention  to 
the  direction  we  took.  But  I  soon  gave  up  the  idea.  My 
position  on  the  car  was  not  one  from  which  I  could  observe 
anything  with  any  degree  of  comfort.  With  my  arms 
bound,  I  sprawled  out  upon  the  smooth,  curved  bonnet 
of  the  confounded  car,  only  held  on  by  a  cord  which 
I  expected  to  break  and  send  me  flying  into  the  next 
world  every  time  we  touched  a  stone,  or  crossed  a  rut. 
My  heart  was  in  my  mouth  for  the  next  hour  or  so, 


no  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

but  afterwards  I  think  I  grew  careless  or  callous.  He 
had  pulled  the  cord  round  my  arms  pretty  tightly  ;  that 
numbed  me  all  over,  and  the  exposure  to  the  air  did 
the  rest.  I  fell  into  a  dreamy  condition.  I  only  know 
that  never  for  a  moment  were  we  still.  There  was 
always  the  drone  of  the  wheels  in  my  ears,  and  whenever 
I  made  a  struggle  and  opened  my  eyes,  all  I  could  see 
was  the  blacker  streak  in  the  blackness  caused  by  the 
hedges  flying  past.  Heaven  only  knows  how  far  and 
where  we  went.  It  seemed  an  eternity  until  it  ended. 
But  by  then  I  was  very  near  unconsciousness.  I  have 
a  sort  of  impression  the  car  did  stop.  I  fancy  that  I 
saw  the  Pirate's  mask  bent  closely  over  me  while  he 
examined  me,  that  I  heard  him  say,  *I  don't  think, 
Mr.  Inspector,  your  attentions  will  trouble  me  much 
more.'  I  do  remember  distinctly  being  lifted  in  his 
powerful  hands.  I  felt  him  swing  me  once,  twice,  thrice  ; 
then  I  felt  myself  flying  in  the  air,  and  the  next  moment 
my  senses  came  back  to  me  with  a  rush,  for  I  plumped 
into  several  feet  of  water." 

**  Well  ? "  I  ejaculated,  as  Forrest  paused  to  light 
another  cigarette.  I  was  so  interested  that  I  grudged 
him  a  moment's  delay  before  completing  the  story. 

**  The  curious  thing  to  my  mind  is  that  he  did  not 
knock  me  on  the  head  at  first,"  said  Forrest.  "  I  can 
only  explain  it  by  the  conclusion  that  our  friend  the 
Motor  Pirate  is  a  madman.  But,  if  so,  I  undoubtedly 
owe  my  life  to  the  means  he  took  to  finish  it.  The 
sudden  immersion  brought  me  to  myself  much  more 


A   RIDE  WITH   THE   PIRATE      in 

rapidly  than  any  other  process  could  have  done.  In 
detaching  me  from  the  car  he  must  have  loosened  the 
knot  of  the  rope  binding  my  arms  ;  possibly  the  water 
made  it  slip  further  before  it  became  saturated.  I  felt 
the  rope  give,  and  got  one  arm  free  by  the  time  I  came 
to  the  surface.  I  floundered  into  shallow  water,  and 
paused.  By  this  time  there  was  just  a  glimmer  of  light 
on  the  eastern  horizon  from  the  dawn,  and  I  could  see 
the  bank  was  only  a  yard  or  two  distant.  Somehow 
or  another  I  managed  to  scramble  out,  bringing  half  the 
bed  of  the  river,  or  pond,  whichever  it  was  I  had  been 
pitched  into,  with  me.  When  I  was  on  firm  ground 
I  collapsed.  I  did  not  remain  long  on  the  ground, 
though.  I  knew  very  well  that  if  I  wanted  to  escape 
a  severe  illness,  the  only  thing  to  do  was  to  keep  moving 
until  my  circulation  was  restored.  So  I  got  going.  It 
was  hard  work  at  first.  My  limbs  were  so  cramped 
and  stiff  that  I  was  compelled  to  stop  and  groan  after 
crawling  every  six  paces.  But  the  stiffness  wore  off 
gradually.  I  went  ahead  until  I  struck  a  village,  and 
found  out  in  what  part  of  the  country  I  was." 

**  Why  didn't  you  go  to  the  police-station  ? "  I 
asked. 

"  Wasn't  going  to  make  myself  a  laughing-stock  for 
a  lot  of  country  constables,"  he  answered.  "  No ;  if 
I  had  got  my  man,  I  should  not  have  minded  what  sort 
of  figure  I  cut,  but  to  turn  up  such  a  scarecrow  after 
failing  to  get  my  man — not  much.  I  had  learned  from 
the  post-office  window  where  I  was.  I  had  been 


ii2  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

dropped  near  Shefford,  a  village  a  few  miles  the  othei 
side  of  Hitchin  on  the  North  Road,  and  I  thought  if 
I  walked  back  here  I  should  avoid  all  likelihood  of  getting 
a  chill.  So  I  started.  I  found  I  had  a  shilling  in  my 
pocket.  I  had  more  money  about  me  than  that  when 
I  started  out,  but  whether  our  friend  helped  himself  to 
the  balance,  or  whether  it  fell  from  my  pockets  during 
the  ride,  I  haven't  the  slightest  idea.  But  the  shilling 
was  sufficient  to  provide  for  my  requirements.  The 
first  public-house  I  found  open  I  went  in,  and  had  six- 
penny-worth of  hot  rum.  My  word  !  There's  nothing 
iike  hot  rum  for  putting  new  life  into  one.  After  I 
had  drunk  it  I  reckoned  I  should  get  here  about  noon  ; 
but  I  had  not  taken  the  somniferous  effects  of  that 
sixpenny-worth  of  rum  into  the  calculation.  Before  I 
had  covered  half  a  dozen  miles,  I  found  myself  so  sleepy 
that  I  could  not  keep  my  eyes  open.  I  dropped  off 
once  or  twice  as  I  walked,  so  at  last  I  made  for  a  con- 
venient haystack,  rolled  myself  up  in  the  loose  litter  at 
the  base,  and  let  myself  go. 

"That's  how  it  happened  I  was  so  late  in  my 
arrival,"  he  remarked  ;  "  and  now,  Motor  Pirate  or 
no  Motor  Pirate,  I  am  going  to  finish  that  snooze." 

He  gave  a  prodigious  yawn,  and  held  out  his  hand. 

"  Good  night !  "  I  said.  "  The  story  of  my  adven- 
tures will  very  well  keep  until  to-morrow." 


CHAPTER   XI 

IN    WHICH    THE    PIRATE    HOLDS    UP    THE    BRIGHTON    MAIL 

ON  joining  Forrest  at  breakfast  the  following  morning, 
I  found  he  had  mapped  out  a  programme  for  the  day 
which  promised  to  keep  us  pretty  busily  occupied. 

"  First,"  he  said,  "  I  must  get  into  St.  Albans,  and 
see  whether  there  is  any  fresh  information  to  hand.  If 
possible,  I  should  like  to  run  over  to  Shefford,  for  I  want 
to  look  at  the  place  where  I  had  my  ducking,  and  recover 
the  piece  of  cord  with  which  that  almighty  scoundrel 
secured  me.  Then  there's  the  inquest  at  Towcester  at 
twelve,  and  sometime  to-day  I  must  put  in  an  appearance 
at  head-quarters  to  hand  in  my  report.  Perhaps  I  had 
better  train  from  Towcester  for  that.  It  will  be  making 
too  great  demands  on  your  time." 

"  Nonsense  ! "  I  replied ;  "  I  can  run  you  up  to  town 
very  nearly  as  quickly  as  you  could  manage  the  journey 
by  rail." 

"I  hope  you  won't  have  to  return  alone,"  he  re- 
marked. "  I  am  hoping  to  be  able  to  inflict  myself  upon 
you  for  a  few  more  days;  but  it  is  on  the  cards  I  may  be 
taken  off  the  job  since  I  have  met  with  so  little  success." 

113  I 


n4  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

w  I  hope  not,"  I  answered. 

"I  should  be  sorry,  too,"  he  said.  "I  am  more 
convinced  than  ever  that  our  friend  is  living  within  a 
twenty-mile  radius  of  this  house." 

"  What  grounds  have  you  for  thinking  so  ?  '*  I  asked. 

"  The  very  slightest  at  present,"  he  declared  frankly  5 
"  and  until  I  have  seen  the  police  reports  from  other 
parts  of  the  country,  I  will  not  commit  myself  definitely 
to  the  opinion." 

I  could  not  get  anything  more  out  of  him  then,  but 
after  he  had  made  a  note  of  all  the  information  to  be 
obtained  at  St.  Albans — we  were  on  the  road  by  nine-thirty 
— he  became  more  communicative.  The  information 
he  obtained  did  not  amount  to  much.  On  the  previous 
evening,  the  Motor  Pirate  had  not  made  his  appearance 
anywhere ;  while  on  the  evening  before,  the  only  outrage 
of  which  he  had  been  guilty  was  the  murder  which  we 
had  discovered.  On  that  night,  however,  his  car  had 
been  reported  as  having  been  seen  on  various  roads  in 
the  midlands,  one  appearance  having  been  recorded  as 
far  north  as  Peterborough. 

"  That  confirms  my  opinion,"  Forrest  declared. 
"The  Peterborough  report  gives  the  time  of  his 
appearance  as  about  2.50.  The  sun  rises  at  five,  and  it 
is  beginning  to  be  light  an  hour  earlier.  It  must  have 
been  about  four  when  he  dropped  me  into  the  water  at 
Shefford.  Hitherto  he  has  not  been  seen  by  daylight  at 
all.  Clearly  he  must  have  delayed  getting  rid  of  me 
until  he  thought  it  was  dangerous  to  carry  me  about  any 


HOLDS  UP  THE  BRIGHTON  MAIL    115 

longer.  He  may  even  have  been  close  to  his  own  home, 
though  he  would  probably  select  a  spot  twenty  or 
thirty  miles  away  at  least." 

"  It  seems  likely,"  I  agreed. 

"  Certain  of  it,"  said  Forrest.  "  Now  we  will  get 
along  to  Shefford." 

We  had  a  very  pleasant  run,  and  a  mile  from  the 
village,  Forrest  stopped  me  where  a 'deep  pool  fringed 
with  rushes  skirted  the  road. 

"  This  is  the  spot,"  he  cried. 

He  left  me  in  the  car  and  scrambled  through  the 
hedge  into  an  adjoining  field.  He  came  running  back 
with  a  dilapidated  overcoat  sodden  with  water  in  one  hand, 
and  a  piece  of  rope  in  the  other. 

*'  Thought  I  could  not  be  mistaken,"  he  cried. 

When  he  was  again  in  the  car  he  examined  the  rope 
carefully. 

"Just  an  ordinary  piece  of  half-inch  cord,"  he  re- 
marked. "It's  not  of  much  value  as  a  clue,  but  as  a 
piece  of  evidence — I  have  known  a  man's  life  hang  upon 
a  slighter  thread  before  now."  He  chuckled  grimly  at 
his  own  pleasantry. 

**  Where  next  ?  "  I  inquired. 

**  Towcester,"  he  replied  ;  and  I  wheeled  the  car 
round,  and  we  were  soon  making  the  dust  fly  again. 

We  were  not  detained  very  long  at  the  inquest. 
Forrest  had  a  few  words  with  the  coroner,  so  that  after 
formal  evidence  of  identification  had  been  given,  and  I 
had  made  my  statement  as  to  the  finding  of  the  body, 


n6  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

the  inquiry  was  adjourned.  Thus  plenty  of  time  was 
left  at  our  disposal,  and  we  did  not  hurry  on  our  way  to 
town,  even  breaking  our  journey  on  the  way  for  lunch. 

The  weather  remained  delightfully  fine.  Clean 
roads,  blue  sky,  soft  winds,  combined  to  make  ideal 
weather  for  motoring.  We  reached  town  about  four, 
and  went  straight  to  Scotland  Yard.  Forrest  went  in 
while  I  waited  for  him.  Then  he  returned  for  me,  and, 
taking  me  up  in  the  lift,  he  piloted  me  into  the  presence 
of  the  commissioner,  whom  I  found  to  be  an  exceedingly 
courteous  gentleman.  He  expressed  himself  indebted  to 
me  for  the  assistance  I  had  rendered  the  department.  I 
did  not  see  that  my  assistance  had  been  of"  much  practical 
value,  and  I  said  so  ;  but  I  added  that  I  was  very  keen 
on  the  Motor  Pirate's  capture,  and  I  should  be  glad  to 
render  any  service  in  my  power  which  would  tend  to 
such  an  end. 

"  Anything  you  can  do  to  assist  Inspector  Forrest  will 
be  greatly  appreciated,"  he  declared.  "  Of  course,  it  is 
not  our  usual  plan  to  make  use  of  outside  assistance,  but 
we  are  not  so  bound  up  in  red  tape  as  to  refuse  such  aid 
as  that  you  offer." 

We  had  ten  minutes'  further  conversation,  and  then 
Forrest  and  I  left  together.  The  detective  was  in  high 
glee.  He  had  obtained  carte  blanche  to  do  as  he  liked. 
His  chief  had  expressed  every  confidence  in  him,  while 
urging  him  to  spare  no  effort  to  obtain  the  Pirate's 
arrest. 

"  The  fact  is,"  he  said,  "  the  papers  have  been  rubbing 


HOLDS  UP  THE  BRIGHTON  MAIL    117 

it  into  us  for  allowing  such  audacious  crimes  to  be  com- 
mitted right  under  our  noses,  and  the  chief  is  wild  to 
get  the  chap.  Half  of  the  detective  force  are  already 
engaged  on  the  job.  I  fancy  I  should  get  him  myself 
singlehanded  sooner  or  later  if  he  were  a  sane  man  ;  but, 
as  it  is,  the  cunning  of  a  madman  upsets  every  cal- 
culation.'* 

44  You  still  hold  to  the  theory  that  he  is  mad  ? "  I  asked. 

**  Cannot  explain  his  treatment  of  me  in  any  other 
way,"  he  replied  promptly. 

44  Well,  what's  the  next  move  ? "  I  asked,  when  we 
had  returned  to  our  car.  "  I  suppose  we  may  as  well  go 
for  a  prowl  to-night,  on  the  off-chance  of  finding  him." 

"We  might  try  a  new  district,"  answered  Forrest, 
"You  may  have  noticed  that  he  breaks  fresh  ground 
every  time  he  reappears." 

" Where  shall  it  be  then?" 

Forrest  answered  my  question  with  another.  "Sup- 
posing yourself  to  be  in  his  place,  and  the  desire  to 
attract  notoriety  a  stronger  motive  than  mere  plunder. 
What  should  you  do  ?  " 

There  flashed  into  my  memory  what  Winter's  guest 
had  said  about  the  Brighton  Parcels  Mail,  and  I  said 
laughingly — 

**  I  fancy  I  should  hold  up  the  Brighton  Mail." 

"  As  likely  a  feat  as  any  for  him  to  attempt,"  replied 
Forrest,  thoughtfully. 

I  glanced  up  at  the  clock  in  the  tower  of  St.  Stephens; 
the  hands  pointed  to  a  quarter  before  five. 


n8  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

"Well,"  I  said,  "we  may  as  well  run  down  to 
Brighton  by  daylight  and  get  acquainted  with  the  road, 
since  I  have  only  driven  over  it  once  before.  We  can 
dine  at  the  Metropole  comfortably,  spend  a  couple  of 
hours  on  the  front  after  dinner,  and  have  plenty  of  time 
to  meet  the  mail  on  the  road  afterwards." 

"  A  most  excellent  suggestion,"  agreed  the  inspector, 
and  his  eyes  twinkled  at  the  thought  of  the  programme 
I  had  mapped  out. 

We  started  forthwith.  Reaching  Brighton  before 
sunset,  I  refilled  my  tanks  with  petrol  before  putting  the 
car  up  at  the  Metropole  and  reserving  a  table  for 
dinner.  We  had  a  wash,  walked  to  the  Hove  end  of 
the  esplanade,  and  came  back  to  our  dinner  with  appetites 
equal  to  anything.  We  sat  over  our  coffee  a  long  while, 
Forrest  making  the  time  fly  by  spinning  yarns  about  his 
experiences.  Then  we  smoked  a  cigar  on  the  pier,  and 
so  whiled  away  the  time  until  eleven.  If  we  had  started 
then  we  should  possibly  have  reached  town  before  the 
mail  had  started,  but  as  we  were  both  tired  of  dawdling 
about,  I  proposed  that  we  should  extend  our  tour. 

Forrest  was  quite  agreeable.  "  Really  we  are  out 
on  a  fool's  errand,"  he  remarked.  "  We  are  just  as 
likely  to  meet  him  on  one  road  as  another.  Yet  I  have 
a  presentiment  that  we  shall  hear  something  further  about 
him  to-night.  If  we  do  meet  him,  remember  one  thing. 
One  of  us  must  get  in  the  first  shot,  and  it  must  not 
miss.** 

u  Don't  wait  for  me  to  shoot,  then,"  I  replied. 


HOLDS  UP  THE  BRIGHTON  MAIL    119 

We  got  our  car,  and  after  a  glance  at  the  map,  I  told 
my  companion  where  I  proposed  to  go  :  a  run  along  the 
coast  to  Worthing,  there  to  strike  inland  for  Horsham, 
from  Horsham  to  make  for  the  Brighton  road  about 
Crawley,  roughly  about  a  forty-mile  run  in  all,  and  I 
reckoned  that  if  we  kept  to  the  legal  speed  limit  we 
should  just  about  meet  the  mail. 

Forrest  made  no  objection  to  my  suggestion,  so  we 
started  at  our  slowest  pace.  I  had  very  little  to  do,  and 
the  ride  was  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  I  have  ever 
experienced.  The  salt  breath  of  the  sea  was  in  our  faces, 
and  the  roar  of  it  in  our  ears.  I  was  quite  sorry  when 
on  reaching  Worthing  it  became  necessary  to  leave 
the  coast.  Inland  the  roads  were  absolutely  deserted. 
We  did  not  meet  a  single  person  between  Worthing  and 
Horsham,  and  for  the  first  time  I  realized  how  easily  the 
Motor  Pirate's  movements  could  evade  notice.  At 
Horsham  we  looked  in  at  the  police-station,  and  Forrest 
made  a  formal  inquiry  as  to  whether  anything  had  been 
heard  of  our  quarry  in  the  neighbourhood  ;  but,  as  we 
expected,  without  result.  We  remained  there  a  little 
time  to  stretch  our  legs  and  to  drink  a  cup  of  tea,  which 
the  officer  in  charge  prepared  for  us,  and  on  leaving  we 
proceeded  at  the  same  steady  pace,  arriving  in  Crawley 
something  after  four.  There  we  found  that  the  mail 
had  passed  through  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  our 
arrival,  and  I  questioned  whether  it  would  be  worth  our 
while  to  remain  any  longer  on  the  road. 

"  We  may  as  well  make  a  night  of  it,"  said  Forrest, 


120  THE    MOTOR    PIRATE 

in  reply  to  my  remark  on  the  subject,  so  I  turned  the 
car  in  the  direction  of  Brighton  again.  We  bowled 
along  at  about  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  at  which  rate  I 
reckoned  on  catching  the  mail  within  half  an  hour.  But 
we  were  destined  to  overtake  it  in  a  considerably  shorter 
time,  for  just  after  passing  the  third  milestone  after 
leaving  the  village,  our  path  was  blocked  by  the  huge 
van  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  road  and  all  across  it. 

I  pulled  up  at  once.  Apparently  the  vehicle  was  not 
much  damaged,  but  the  door  was  broken  open,  while 
the  parcels  with  which  it  had  been  laden  were  scattered 
all  over  the  roadway.  One  horse  lay  on  the  roadway 
perfectly  still,  the  others  had  disappeared. 

The  moment  we  stopped  Forrest  leaped  from  the 
car;  I  followed  his  example.  The  first  object  which 
met  our  eyes  was  the  form  of  a  man.  He  lay  perfectly 
still,  and  I  thought  he  was  dead,  but  my  companion  had 
sharper  eyes.  Taking  a  knjfe  from  his  pocket,  he  hacked 
at  cords  which  bound  the  man  hand  and  foot. 

"  More  work  of  the  Motor  Pirate,"  remarked  Forrest 
grimly,  as  I  came  to  his  assistance. 

The  man  was  not  dead,  but  he  had  been  so  roughly 
gagged  that  had  we  arrived  ten  minutes  later  he  probably 
would  have  been  beyond  human  help.  In  the  condition 
he  was,  it  took  us  ten  minutes  working  vigorously  to 
restore  his  respiration  ;  and  after  that  it  took  the  whole 
of  the  contents  of  my  pocket  flask  to  restore  him  suffi- 
ciently to  enable  him  to  give  us  an  account  of  the  mishap 
which  had  befallen  him. 


HOLDS  UP  THE  BRIGHTON  MAIL    121 

Then  we  learned  that  the  man  was  the  driver  of  the 
mail,  and  that  Forrest's  surmise  that  we  had  happened 
once  more  upon  the  handiwork  of  the  Motor  Pirate  was 
correct.  He  had,  it  appeared,  been  driving  quietly  along, 
when  his  attention  had  been  arrested  by  the  curious 
high-toned  hum  which  presaged  the  Pirate's  approach. 
He  was  wondering  what  the  curious  noise  could  be, 
when  he  suddenly  realized  that  a  long  low  car  was  beside 
him.  He  did  not  anticipate  any  harm  either  to  himself 
or  to  his  charge,  for,  though  he  fancied  that  the  stranger 
was  the  noted  criminal,  he  shared  the  impression,  pretty 
common  until  then,  that  the  Pirate  confined  his  atten- 
tions to  motorists.  The  stranger  did  not  even  call  upon 
him  to  pull  up.  He  ran  beside  the  coach,  then  slightly 
increasing  his  speed,  he  drew  level  with  the  wheelers  of 
the  team.  There  was  the  sound  of  a  pistol  shot,  the 
off  wheeler  fell  dead  in  his  tracks,  bringing  down  the 
other  horses  in  his  fall,  and  swinging  the  vehicle  right 
across  the  road.  The  driver  only  escaped  being  pitched 
from  his  seat  by  the  strap  which  held  him  to  it. 

"  Then,"  continued  the  man,  "  he  ups  with  'is  pistol 
an*  tells  me  to  come  dahn,  an*  dahn  I  toddles  pretty 
quick.  *  Sorry  ter  inconwenience  yer,  my  good  feller,' 
ec  says.  *  Don't  menshing  it,'  I  says,  as  perlite  as  you'd 
be  with  a  pistol  a  pointing  at  yer  'ed.  '  I  want  the  keys 
er  this  'ere  waggin,'  ee  says.  c  Sorry  they  don't  trust 
'em  ter  us  drivers,'  I  answers.  *  Don't  matter  worth 
a  cent,'  ee  says.  *  I've  another  w'y  er  openin'  thct 
strong  box.  Put  yer  'ands  be'ind  yer  an*  turn  rahnd,' 


122  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

ee  says.  I  done  it,  an*  ee  trusses  me  up  like  a  bloomin' 
chicken,  an'  sticks  my  own  angkincher  dahn  me  froat. 
With  thet  ee  walks  along  ter  the  door  and  blows  the 
bloomin'  locks  orf  with  'is  pistol.  That  did  it.  Ee 
looks  inside,  an'  the  w'y  ee  cleared  them  parcels  aht  was 
a  sight — well,  yer  can  see  fer  yerself  wort  it's  like.  The 
other  'orses  were  thet  mad  they  kicks  theirselves  free. 
Ee  goes  froo  the  parcels  cool  as  a  cowcumber  until  ee 
routs  aht  the  registered  parcels.  Ee  puts  them  in  'is  car. 
*  Tar,  tar  ! '  ee  says,  wiving  'is  'and,  an'  orf  ee  goes  jest 
abaht  five  minutes  afore  you  gents  corned  along." 

When  Forrest  realized  how  near  we  had  been  to 
coming  to  close  quarters  with  our  quarry,  he  went  aside, 
and  for  the  first  time  since  I  had  made  his  acquaintance,  I 
heard  him  swear.  It  was  a  successful  effort.  He  returned 
to  my  side  the  next  moment. 

**The  telegraph  is  our  only  chance,"  he  said.  "Drive 
like  hell  back  to  Crawley." 

I  did.  There  we  set  the  wires  throbbing,  and  begun 
to  scour  the  countryside  for  any  traces  of  the  Pirate. 
We  did  not  give  up  our  quest  until  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  I  think  we  inquired  at  every  house  and  cottage 
within  a  ten-mile  radius  of  the  scene  of  the  outrage,  but 
without  finding  a  single  person  who  had  seen  or  heard 
of  the  Motor  Pirate. 

Once  more  he  had  appeared  and  disappeared  without 
leaving  the  faintest  clue  to  his  identity. 


CHAPTER   XII 

HOW   WE    EXCHANGE    SHOTS    WITH    THE    PIRAT1 

AFTER  the  sudden  flurry  which  the  reappearance  of  the 
Motor  Pirate  caused,  and  quite  as  much  in  the  country 
at  large  as  in  my  own  particular  circle,  we  settled  down 
once  again  to  a  condition  of  comparative  quietude.  Of 
course  there  were  plenty  of  facts  to  keep  the  public 
interest  alive  and  to  fill  the  papers.  The  adjourned 
inquest  on  the  victim  found  near  Towcester  supplied 
columns  of  copy,  while  the  robbery  of  the  Brighton  Mail 
afforded  unlimited  scope  for  the  descriptive  reporter  as 
well  as  for  the  special  crime  investigator,  who  at  this 
time  made  his  permanent  appearance  on  the  staff  of 
nearly  every  paper  of  any  importance  in  the  British 
Isles.  My  life  at  home  was  made  a  burden  to  me  by 
these  gentlemen.  I  bear  them  no  malice  for  theii 
persevering  attempts  to  interview  me,  but  they  were  ar 
unmitigated  nuisance,  since  I  had  no  wish  to  air  m) 
experiences  in  the  newspapers  at  this  stage  of  affairs 
It  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  I  escaped  the  attention 
of  the  gentlemen  of  the  Fourth  Estate,  for  they  evea 
waited  on  my  doorstep  for  the  chance  of  button-holing 

123 


i24  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

me  when  I  went  out  in  the  morning ;  and  pursued  me 
so  assiduously,  that  I  dared  not  look  a  stranger  in  the 
face,  lest  my  glance  should  be  translated  into  a  column 
of  glowing  prose. 

I  have  said  that  the  Pirate  left  no  clue  to  his  identity 
upon  his  latest  appearance,  and,  indeed,  at  the  time,  such 
was  the  opinion  both  of  Forrest  and  myself.  But  in  the 
light  of  after  events  we  learned  that  there  was  a  clue, 
had  we  been  keen-witted  enough  to  have  discovered  it. 
In  the  course  of  our  inquiries  around  Crawley,  we 
certainly  did  not  succeed  in  finding  any  one  who  had 
observed  the  mysterious  car  which  every  one  had  learned 
to  associate  with  the  Pirate,  but  we  had  been  told 
casually  at  Caterham — we  had  not  returned  by  the 
direct  road  between  London  and  Brighton — that  we 
were  »ot  the  only  motorists  abroad  on  that  night,  since 
another  man  had  passed  through  the  town  early  the 
same  morning.  When  we  learned,  however,  that  he 
had  been  driving  a  car  of  the  conventional  shape  with 
a  tonneau  body,  we  paid  no  further  attention  to  the 
information,  concluding  that  he  was  a  sportsman,  anxious 
like  ourselves  for  a  brush  with  the  Pirate.  Our  blindness 
was  to  cost  us  dear  before  we  had  done. 

There  was  another  supposition  which  I  could  not 
get  out  of  my  mind  in  connection  with  the  latest  feat, 
and  a  couple  of  days  afterwards  I  mentioned  it  to  Forrest 
as  we  waited,  according  to  our  invariable  custom,  at 
St.  Albans  for  news  of  the  Pirate*s  reappearance. 

**  Don't  you  think  it  particularly  strange,"  I  remarked, 


WE   EXCHANGE   SHOTS          125 

"that  in  holding  up  the  Brighton  Mail,  our  friend  at 
once  searched  for  the  registered  parcels,  and  directly  he 
laid  his  hands  upon  them  at  once  made  off? " 

"A  perfectly  natural  thing  for  him  to  do,"  replied 
the  detective.  "  He  would  guess  that,  if  there  were  any 
valuables,  they  would  almost  certainly  have  been  registered, 
and  he  could  scarcely  hope  to  go  over  the  whole  contents 
of  the  van." 

"  Admitted,"  I  replied.  "  Still,  does  it  not  strike  you 
as  curious  that  he  should  have  selected  the  night  when 
a  valuable  parcel  of  diamonds  was  there  ? " 

"  Well  ? "  asked  Forrest,  his  attention  thoroughly 
arrested. 

"  It  almost  seems  as  if  he  was  possessed  of  the  same 
information  as  we  were,"  I  ventured. 

"According  to  your  argument,"  he  answered,  "the 
pirate  should  be  either  yourself  or  myself,  Colonel  Mait- 
land,  Mr.  Mannering,  Mr.  Winter,  or  his  friend." 

"There  remains  Mannering  and  the  diamond 
merchant,"  I  said  thoughtfully,  "and  I  know  the  latter 
has  never  driven  a  motor-car  in  his  life.  Besides,  he  is 
scarcely  likely  to  have  robbed  himself  in  such  an  extra- 
ordinary fashion."  We  had  seen  from  the  papers  that 
he  had,  in  fact,  been  referring  to  his  own  firm  when  he 
had  described  to  us  the  advantages  of  the  parcel  post  as 
a  means  of  transmitting  valuables.  "  He  may  have  other 
friends  beside  Winter  to  whom  he  has  mentioned  the 
matter." 

"There's  Mr.  Mannering  still  to  be  accounted  for," 


126  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

remarked  Forrest.  **  No  harm  can  be  done  by  inquiring 
if  he  was  away  from  home  that  evening.  What  sort 
of  establishment  does  he  keep  ? " 

"  Merely  a  couple  of  maids,"  I  answered. 

"In  that  case  there  should  be  no  trouble  in  ascertain- 
ing whether  he  was  out  or  not,"  he  replied.  "I'll  see 
about  it  in  the  morning." 

He  made  the  inquiry  accordingly,  but  as  he  confessed 
to  me  afterwards,  without  expecting  anything  to  come  of 
it.  His  expectations  seemed  to  be  justified  in  the  result. 
The  maids  declared  that  Mannering  had  gone  to  his 
sitting-room  after  dinner,  and  had  been  there  with  his 
slippers  on  when  they  retired  for  the  night.  They  had 
locked  up  the  house  as  usual,  and  the  doors  had  been 
fast  when  they  came  down  the  next  morning. 

This  investigation,  perfunctory  as  it  was,  decided  us 
against  any  idea  of  Mannering's  complicity,  and  I  fell 
back  upon  the  theory  that  the  diamond  merchant  must 
have  communicated  his  methods  to  some  one  else.  We 
sought  him  out  in  the  city,  and  he  assured  us  that  he 
had  never  before  referred  to  the  subject.  He  did  not 
object  to  supplying  us  with  the  names  of  his  acquaint- 
ances who  owned  cars,  and  either  Forrest  or  myself 
made  inquiries  concerning  every  one  of  them.  All  were 
to  no  purpose.  When  we  had  finished,  we  were  no 
nearer  discovering  anything  concerning  the  Pirate  than 
we  were  when  we  had  begun. 

Then  occurred  an  incident  which  should  have  opened 
our  eyes,  if  anything  possibly  could  have  done  so,  to  the 


WE   EXCHANGE   SHOTS          127 

personality  of  the  Pirate.  But  again  we  were  absolutely 
blind. 

It  was  the  second  week  of  May,  and  since,  in  spite 
of  continued  fine  weather,  our  unknown  terror  remained 
in  the  seclusion  of  his  hiding-place,  wherever  it  might 
be,  I  had  persuaded  Forrest  to  come  with  me  for  a  run 
one  afternoon  as  far  as  Cambridge,  proposing  to  return 
after  sunset. 

The  roads  were  beginning  to  be  a  little  dusty,  but 
altogether  we  had  a  very  pleasant  journey  without  any 
incident  of  note.  We  left  the  university  town  about 
nine,  reckoning  upon  getting  home  comfortably  before 
midnight.  There  was  a  bright  slice  of  moon  shining, 
and  we  did  the  dozen  miles  before  reaching  Royston  at 
a  decent  pace.  We  went  slowly  over  the  hilly  road 
out  of  Royston  and  had  passed  over  the  worst  of  it,  and 
I  had  just  put  on  a  higher  speed,  when  I  fancied  I  heard 
the  distant  hum  which  once  heard  could  never  be 
mistaken  for  anything  else.  Forrest  heard  it  at  the 
same  time  as  myself. 

"  Pull  up  at  the  side  of  the  road,"  he  cried.  u  The 
car  must  not  be  damaged." 

I  obeyed,  running  the  bonnet  into  the  hedge  and 
leaving  the  back  of  the  car  extended  over  the  footpath. 
Meanwhile,  Forrest  had  drawn  his  revolver  from  his 
pocket,  and  the  moment  I  brought  the  car  to  a  standstill 
I  followed  his  example. 

"  Don't  stand  on  ceremony,**  advised  my  companion  | 
"shoot  on  sight  1" 


128  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  mouth  when  oui 
enemy  made  his  appearance,  coming  from  the  direction 
of  Buntingford.  Whether  he  had  any  intention  of 
stopping  and  robbing  us,  I  have  no  means  of  telling,  but 
I  think  not,  for  he  was  travelling  at  his  most  rapid  pace, 
and  gave  no  signs  of  slackening  as  he  approached.  Once 
more  I  was  astonished  at  the  wonderful  steadiness  of  his 
machine.  He  passed  us  in  a  flash,  the  car  running  as 
evenly  as  if  it  were  upon  rails.  In  fact  I  paid  so  much 
attention  to  this,  that  I  was  too  late  to  fire  with  any 
prospect  of  hitting  him.  Forrest  was  more  alert.  As 
the  Pirate  swooped  by,  the  detective's  Colt  spoke  twice. 
So  far  as  we  could  see,  the  shots  took  no  effect,  for  he 
did  not  move  an  inch. 

"  No  luck,"  muttered  my  companion,  as  the  hum 
of  the  Pirate's  car  died  away  in  the  distance. 

I  held  up  a  warning  finger.     *'  Hush  I "  I  said. 

My  ears  had  told  me  truly — our  enemy  was  once 
more  approaching  us.  I  leaned  over  the  back  of  the  car, 
this  time  determined  that  I  would  at  least  make  an  en- 
deavour to  stop  his  progress.  The  road  was  without  a 
bend  for  a  stretch  of  at  least  two  hundred  yards,  and  the 
moment  he  came  into  the  straight  he  was  clearly  visible  to 
us  in  the  light  of  the  moon.  I  did  not  wait.  The  moment 
I  saw  him  distinctly,  I  lifted  my  revolver  and  pulled  the 
trigger  as  rapidly  as  I  was  able.  Before  I  had  emptied 
three  chambers  he  was  level.  I  was  just  in  the  act  of 
firing  a  third  time,  when  a  flash  of  fire  spurted  from 
the  running  car  and  my  pistol  dropped  from  my  hand. 


WE   EXCHANGE   SHOTS          129 

Something  had  struck  me  violently  on  the  arm.  I  felt 
no  pain  for  the  moment,  only  curiously  numbed  and 
cold.  I  wondered  why  my  companion  should  continue 
to  fire  at  the  rapidly  disappearing  form  of  the  Pirate,  who 
appeared  to  me  to  be  swerving  from  side  to  side  of  the 
road  in  the  most  ridiculous  fashion.  In  another  moment 
he  was  out  of  sight.  I  felt  extremely  sick,  and,  with 
something  between  a  groan  and  a  sigh,  I  sank  back  into 
my  seat. 

"  I  fancy  one  of  us  must  have  got  him,*'  said  Forrest, 
in  an  excited  tone.  **  Let  us  get  on." 

rt  I  hope  you  are  right,"  I  answered.  "  For  he  has 
certainly  managed  to  wing  me." 

The  shock  had  passed  off,  and,  with,  the  return  of 
sensation,  my  arm  felt  as  if  a  red-hot  iron  had  been  run 
through  it,  while  there  was  a  similar  sort  of  feeling  about 
my  chest. 

"  Really,"  said  Forrest,  as  he  looked  closely  into  my 
face.  He  must  have  seen  that  I  was  not  joking,  for  he 
jumped  out  of  the  car  and  came  back  with  one  of  the 
lamps  in  his  hand.  "  Where  is  it  ? "  he  asked,  with 
some  anxiety. 

"  Merely  the  arm,  I  fancy,"  I  replied. 

He  took  a  knife  from  his  pocket,  and,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation,  ripped  up  the  sleeve  of  the  over- 
coat and  under-coat  which  I  was  wearing.  The  shirt- 
sleeve was  already  soaked  with  blood,  and  his  face  was 
curiously  anxious  as  he  cut  away  the  linen  and  felt  the 
bone  from  wrist  to  shoulder.  Then  his  face  cleared. 

V 


1 30  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

"  Only  through  the  muscle,"  he  remarked.  **  A 
fortnight  will  see  the  wound  completely  healed." 

Meanwhile  he  was  tearing  his  handkerchief  into 
strips,  and,  with  this  improvised  bandage,  he  bound  up 
the  wound. 

"  Sure  that  is  all  ? "  he  asked,  when  he  had  tightened 
it  to  his  satisfaction. 

"I've  got  much  the  same  sort  of  feeling  here,"  T 
replied,  tapping  my  chest  gingerly. 

His  face  grew  grave  again,  and  before  doing  anything 
more  he  fished  my  flask  out  of  my  pocket,  and  insisted 
upon  my  taking  a  liberal  draught  of  the  contents.  Not 
until  then  would  he  examine  me. 

"Your  bleeding  powers  would  do  credit  to  :* 
bullock,"  he  commented,  as  he  cut  away  my  shirt ; 
"but  beyond  loss  of  blood,  I  don't  think  there's  much 
harm  done." 

His  first  impression  was  correct.  A  cursory  ex- 
amination was  quite  sufficient  to  convince  him  that  I  was 
not  much  hurt. 

"Just  a  nasty  furrow,"  he  remarked.  "Pretty  pain- 
ful, I  suppose.  The  bullet  glanced  off,  turned  by  that 
leather  coat  of  yours,  I  presume.  Lucky  for  you ;  as  it 
is,  you  will  be  all  right  in  the  fortnight." 

I  felt  relieved  by  his  tone,  and  assured  him,  when 
he  had  patched  me  up  temporarily  with  strips  torn  from 
my  shirt-sleeves  and  my  own  handkerchief,  that  I  felt 
very  little  of  the  injury. 

"Now  take  my  seat,"   he  said,  as  he  buttoned  my 


WE   EXCHANGE    SHOTS  131 

coat  round  me.  "I  think  I  have  had  enough  experience 
of  motoring  to  ensure  my  taking  you  in  safety  to  the 
nearest  surgeon.  It's  infernally  bad  luck,  though,"  he 
continued.  "I  would  swear  one  of  us  must  have  hit 
our  friend,  and  if  we  were  only  in  a  position  to  follow 
him  up,  we  should  be  pretty  certain  to  effect  a 
capture." 

My  mind  had  been  considerably  relieved  to  find  that 
I  was  not  seriously  injured,  and  the  dose  of  whisky  I  had 
taken  had  pulled  me  together. 

"  You've  bound  me  up  pretty  tightly  ? "   I  asked. 

"You  are  right  enough  until  we  find  a  doctor,"  he 
answered. 

"  In  that  case,"  I  said,  "  if  there's  any  chance  of  our 
catching  our  man  to-night,  I'm  not  going  to  chuck  it  away. 
Put  the  light  back  and  let  us  get  on." 

My  mind  was  made  up  on  the  subject.  One  reason 
was  that  physical  pain  always  makes  me  feel  mad,  and  I 
would  have  given  a  great  deal  to  get  even  with  the  Pirate 
for  that  reason  alone.  Besides,  call  it  vanity  or  what  you 
will,  I  wasn't  going  to  let  any  one  say  I  had  allowed  a 
scratch  to  bowl  me  over.  So  the  moment  Forrest  had 
replaced  the  light,  I  resumed  my  seat  in  the  car,  asserting 
that  I  was  fully  capable  of  driving. 

The  detective  attempted  to  dissuade  me  from  the 
attempt,  but  I  was  bent  upon  having  my  own  way.  He 
did  not  argue  the  question  at  any  length,  for  as  soon  as  he 
was  in  the  car  I  backed  into  the  middle  of  the  road  and 
jammed  on  our  highest  speed. 


THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

In  three  minutes  we  were  at  Buntingford,  and  there 
we  nearly  ran  into  a  group  of  people  who  were  gathered 
in  the  middle  of  the  road.  They  were  discussing,  as  it 
happened,  the  appearance  of  the  Pirate,  who  had  passed 
through  the  town  twenty  minutes  previously.  Here 
Forrest  made  another  futile  attempt  to  persuade  me  to  see 
a  surgeon  immediately,  but  I  would  not  listen  to  him. 
We  swept  onward.  I  could  scarcely  see,  but  I  sent  the 
Mercedes  along  recklessly,  stopping  for  nothing  until  we 
reached  Ware.  I  would  never  have  driven  in  the  manner 
I  did  in  calmer  moments.  Forrest  told  me  afterwards 
that  his  journey  on  the  Pirate's  car  was  nothing  to  it,  for 
the  car  rocked  so  from  side  to  side  of  the  road  that  he  was 
never  certain  whether  I  was  not  steering  for  the  hedges ; 
while  at  every  bend  his  heart  was  in  his  mouth  when  he 
realized  that  the  wheels  were  never  on  the  ground  together. 

On  the  outskirts  of  Ware  we  learned  that  the  Pirate 
had  been  seen  approaching  the  town,  but  that,  instead  of 
passing  through  the  narrow  streets,  he  had  doubled  back 
in  the  direction  of  Stevenage.  He  had  kept  his  twenty 
minutes'  start  and  I  was  for  following  him.  Forrest  was 
of  another  opinion. 

**  According  to  his  usual  custom,  he  is  obviously  avoid- 
ing the  towns,"  he  argued  ;  "  and  if,  as  I  still  suspect,  his 
hiding-place  is  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Albans,  we  shall  stand 
some  chance  of  cutting  him  off  if  we  take  the  most  direct 
route.  He  cannot  be  badly  hurt,  or  we  should  have 
picked  him  up  before  this,  and  under  any  other  circum- 
stance we  are  not  likely  to  overtake  him." 


WE   EXCHANGE   SHOTS          133 

I  saw  the  force  of  his  reasoning  anclwe  flew  on.  We 
heard  nothing  of  him  neither  in  Hertford  nor  in  Hatfield. 

"  Our  only  chance  is  at  St.  Albans,"  remarked  my 
companion,  and  once  more  I  put  my  car  to  top  speed. 

We  were  just  about  half  way  between  the  two  towns 
when  we  saw  the  lights  of  a  motor  ahead.  I  sounded  the 
horn,  or  rather  Forrest  did,  but  the  vehicle  made  no 
attempt  to  get  out  of  the  way.  We  caught  up  to  the 
stranger  hand  over  fist,  and  not  until  we  were  nearly 
touching  did  I  slacken  speed. 

As  I  did  so  the  occupant  of  the  car  shouted  out, 
**  That  you,  Sutgrove  ?  Never  more  pleased  to  meet 
with  a  friend  in  my  life.'* 

It  was  Mannering. 

*'  Seen  anything  of  the  Pirate  ?  "  shouted  Forrest,  by 
way  of  reply. 

"  Merely  had  the  pleasure  of  exchanging  shots  with 
him  ten  minutes  ago,"  was  the  astounding  answer. 
"  Unfortunately  he  appears  to  have  got  the  better  of  the 
exchange,  for  he  has  managed  to  put  a  bullet  in  my 
shoulder." 

"  We  have  had  a  similar  experience,  and  Mr.  Sutgrove 
is  the  victim,"  answered  Forrest.  "  So  I  am  afraid  I  can- 
not offer  much  assistance." 

"  I  think  I  can  get  to  St.  Albans  all  right,"  he  replied. 
"  It's  only  the  left,  and  I  managed  to  get  a  handkerchief 
round  it." 

**  If  you  will  let  us  pass,"  I  said, "  I  will  run  on  to  St. 
Albans  and  see  that  assistance  is  sent  to  you.*' 


i34  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  notice  I  was  taking  all  the  road,"  he 
remarked,  as  he  drew  aside. 

Once  more  we  drove  ahead  at  our  speed  limit,  and  five 
minutes  later  we  stopped  before  the  police  office.  There 
we  found  every  one  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  fact  that 
the  Pirate  was  abroad.  Nor  did  any  one  else  see  him 
that  night.  Again  he  had  mysteriously  vanished  under 
circumstances  which  convinced  the  detective  more  firmly 
than  ever  that  his  retreat  was  somewhere  in  the  vicinity 
of  my  home. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

OF  TH1   ADVANTAGES   OF   BEING   WOUNDED 

I  SUPPOSE  I  must  have  lost  more  blood  than  I  had 
reckoned  upon,  or  else  the  excitement  of  the  pursuit 
had  been  sufficient  to  keep  me  going ;  but  whichever  it 
was,  no  sooner  had  we  pulled  up  than  I  collapsed.  I 
was  never  nearer  fainting  in  my  life.  In  fact  I  had  to 
take  another  stiff  dose  of  whisky,  and  even  then  I  was 
only  too  glad  to  relinquish  the  steering-wheel  to  Forrest, 
and  let  him  drive  me  the  rest  of  the  way  home.  He 
never  left  me  until  I  was  safely  in  bed,  and  the  surgeon 
he  had  summoned  had  stitched  me  up. 

Fortunately  my  wounds  proved,  as  Forrest  had  fore- 
told, more  painful  than  dangerous.  The  bullet  had 
carried  with  it  some  shreds  of  cloth ;  and  the  removal 
of  these  from  my  arm  was  the  only  really  painful  bit 
of  work  the  surgeon  had  to  perform.  However,  the 
medical  man  insisted  upon  my  remaining  in  bed,  and 
I  obeyed  his  orders  for  a  couple  of  days ;  but  on  the 
third  I  felt  so  well  that  I  rebelled  against  any  further  con- 
finement, and  though  still  considerably  sore,  I  managed 
to  get  out  and  about. 

I  found  I  was  a  little  bit  shaky,  yet  I  managed  to 


136  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

get  as  far  as  Colonel  Mainland's  house,  and  there  I  found 
my  adventure  had  been  a  blessing  in  disguise,  for  I  could 
sec  from  the  manner  in  which  she  greeted  me,  that  my 
last  encounter  with  the  Pirate  had  wiped  from  Miss 
Maitland's  memory  all  remembrance  of  the  previous 
occasion.  There  was  only  one  thing  to  mar  my  enjoy- 
ment of  the  situation  thus  created.  Mannering  had  un- 
fortunately been  successful  in  making  himself  a  candidate 
for  similar  solicitude.  His  injury,  however,  was  even 
more  trivial  than  mine,  the  bullet  having  merely  scored 
his  shoulder.  I  wished  devoutly  it  had  missed  him 
altogether,  or  been  a  few  inches  higher  and  more  to 
the  right ;  for  in  such  case  I  should  have  had  Miss 
Maitland's  undivided  sympathies  and  attention,  whereas  I 
had  perforce  to  share  them  with  my  rival.  I  knew  I  had 
done  nothing  heroic ;  but  if  Mannering  had  not  been  hit 
I  might  at  least  have  posed  as  half  a  hero,  instead  of  which 
I  had  to  be  content  with  being  a  quarter  of  one. 

However,  I  made  the  most  of  what  glory  I  had 
earned,  and  I  am  bound  to  confess  that  I  traded  upon 
my  sore  arm  in  the  most  shameless  fashion. 

Fortunately  the  Motor  Pirate  at  this  time  entered 
upon  a  long  period  of  quiescence,  so  that  I  was  free  to 
make  the  most  of  my  opportunity,  and  to  devote  the 
whole  of  my  time  to  Miss  Maitland's  society.  The 
detective  was  firmly  of  the  opinion  that  this  prolonged  rest 
was  due  to  one  of  our  shots  having  found  its  billet,  and 
declared  that  we  should  hear  nothing  more  of  him  until 
he  had  repaired  damages.  The  inaction,  however,  soon 


ADVANTAGES  OF  BEING  WOUNDED  137 

became  very  wearisome  to  him  ;  and  when  a  fortnight  had 
elapsed  without  a  single  appearance  having  been  chronicled, 
he  became  quite  morose.  By  that  time  he  had  searched 
over  the  whole  district,  but  not  a  trace  of  any  other  in- 
jured person  could  he  discover  ;  and  he  was  as  much  at  a 
loss  for  a  clue  to  the  identity  of  the  Pirate  as  he  had  been 
when  he  first  entered  upon  the  job  of  running  him  to  earth. 
The  Press  by  this  time  had  nothing  but  jeers  for  the 
police  and  for  the  detective  force  generally.  Meantime 
the  most  extraordinary  steps  were  taken  to  secure  the 
Pirate's  arrest  when  he  should  renew  his  rareer.  The 
Automobile  Club  had  officially  lent  their  assistance  to 
i.he  police,  and  night  by  night  the  principal  roads  of  the 
county  were  patrolled  by  the  members  of  the  club,  thirst- 
ing for  the  opportunity  of  distinguishing  themselves  by 
the  capture  of  the  marauder.  The  Pirate  must  have 
been  vastly  amused  in  his  retirement  as  he  read  of  the 
sensation  he  had  created.  I  rather  think  that  the  man 
in  the  street  looked  upon  the  whole  matter  as  the  great 
sporting  event  of  the  century,  and  his  sympathies  were 
undoubtedly  with  the  man  who  could  so  easily  snap  his 
fingers  at  the  army  of  police,  amateur  and  professional, 
who  were  engaged  in  the  task  of  seeking  him.  In  fact, 
if  he  had  not  committed  the  murder  at  Towcester,  I  am 
convinced  that  the  public  would  have  elevated  him  to  the 
position  of  a  great  popular  hero.  Even  as  it  was, 
he  had  no  lack  of  apologists ;  and  an  eminent  ballad- 
monger  celebrated  his  exploits  in  some  verses,  which 
were  immensely  applauded  when  recited  by  long-haired 


138  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

enthusiasts  at  smoking  concerts  and  similar  gatherings. 
All  this  was  gall  to  Forrest ;  and  at  last  one  day,  three 
weeks  after  our  encounter  with  the  Pirate,  he  told  me 
he  could  stand  it  no  longer. 

"I  must  try  another  line  of  country,"  he  remarked. 

"  What  line  do  you  propose  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  The  only  thing  I  can  think  of,"  he  replied,  "  is 
to  make  inquiries  in  Amsterdam,  to  see  if  the  diamonds 
which  were  taken  from  the  mail,  have  been  offered  for 
sale.  I  am  quite  certain  they  have  not  been  put  upon 
the  market  this  side  of  the  water." 

I  was  very  loth  to  let  him  go  alone  ;  but  he  would 
not  hear  of  my  accompanying  him. 

"  What !  run  away  now,  and  let  your  friend 
Mannering  have  a  clear  field  ?  I  wouldn't  if  I  were 
you,"  he  remarked.  "Besides,  I  can  manage  this  sort 
of  work  better  by  myself." 

His  final  argument  was  conclusive,  and  he  went 
away  promising  to  look  me  up  immediately  he  returned, 
and  expressing  the  hope  that  nothing  more  would  be 
heard  of  the  Pirate  until  his  return. 

On  the  very  same  day  it  happened  that  Mannering 
also  took  his  departure  from  St.  Stephens.  I  had 
mentioned  in  his  hearing  that  Forrest  had  been  called 
away,  and  he  had  then  informed  us — Miss  Maitland  and 
myself — that  he  had  some  business  in  Paris  in  connection 
with  the  patent  tyre  with  which  he  was  still  experiment- 
ing, which  would  entail  his  absence  for  two  or  three  days. 

I  sincerely  trusted  that  his  business  would  require  a 


ADVANTAGES  OF  BEING  WOUNDED  139 

much  longer  period  to  transact ;  and  as  he  was  leaving 
by  an  early  train  the  next  morning,  I  took  particular 
care  he  should  obtain  no  opportunity  for  a  private  leave- 
taking  with  Miss  Maitland. 

It  was  not  a  sporting  thing  to  do,  perhaps,  but  I  was 
so  much  in  earnest  about  my  love-making,  that  I  had  no 
scruples  about  spoiling  as  many  of  my  rival's  chances  as  I 
could.  However,  as  it  happened,  I  found  somewhat  to 
my  surprise  that  my  tactics  were  not  unwelcome  to  Miss 
Maitland.  She  confessed  as  much  to  me  the  next  day. ' 

She But  perhaps  it  will  be  better  for  me  to  give  in 

some  detail  the  conversation  we  had  upon  this  occasion, 
since  it  had  a  considerable  bearing  upon  after  events. 

The  morning  after  Mannering  had  departed  was  as 
brilliant  a  one  as  June  ever  bestowed  upon  mortal.  Now 
that  my  rival  was  out  of  the  way,  I  thought  I  might 
dispense  with  the  sling  which  I  had  worn  hitherto,  and 
directly  after  breakfast  I  strolled  across  to  the  Maitlands', 
with  the  intention  oi  persuading  Miss  Maitland  to  come 
for  a  ride  on  the  Mercedes.  I  found  her  on  the  point  of 
starting  for  a  stroll,  with  the  object  of  giving  her  favourite 
Irish  setter  a  run,  and  I  was  easily  persuaded  to  abandon 
my  projected  ride  and  accompany  her  instead.  We  choose 
the  footpath  between  St.  Stephen's  church  and  the  village 
of  Park  Street,  and,  stepping  out  briskly,  we  soon  reached 
our  destination  ;  and  as  my  companion  would  not  hear 
of  turning  back,  we  continued  our  walk  to  Bricket 
Wood.  There  I  insisted  upon  resting. 

I  had  never  seen  her  in  higher  spirits  than  she  was 


140  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

chat  morning.  She  bubbled  over  with  gaiety.  So  much 
so  that  I  could  not  help  commenting  upon  the  fact. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied  frankly,  in  answer  to  my  remarks 
on  the  subject,  "I  do  feel  gay  this  morning.  I  feel  as  if 
a  load  had  been  removed  from  my  shoulders." 

"Surely  you  can  have  no  troubles,"  I  remarked,  half- 
banteringly. 

A  shadow  alighted  for  a  moment  upon  her  face  and 
was  gone  again. 

"Nothing  which  ought   to  be  a  trouble.     Nothing 

tangible    and   yet Oh,    Mr.   Sutgrove,   do  you — 

have  you  ever  experienced  a  presentiment  of  something 
dreadful  happening?  No;  that  is  not  exactly  what  I  mean. 
I  don't  know  how  to  explain  myself  without " 

Then  she  paused,  and  I  discreetly  kept  silence.  Pre- 
sently she  resumed. 

"  Men  are  so  stupid,  or  I  would  tell  you  all  about  it. 
You  would  never  understand." 

I  saw  my  opening  and  made  use  of  it.  "  We  men 
may  be  stupid  both  individually  and  collectively,"  I  said. 
"But  I  can  answer  for  one  man  being  sympathetic  to 
anything  you  like  to  say  to  him." 

She  laughed.    "  I  am  so  afraid  you  will  think  me  silly." 

"  Miss  Maitland — Evie "  I  began. 

"  Hush  !  "  She  stopped  me  with  an  adorable  smile. 
"  You  know  you  haven't  caught  the  Motor  Pirate,  yet." 

I  summoned  up  the  most  injured  expression  per- 
mitted by  my  contentment  with  my  surroundings  and 
fell  silent  again. 


ADVANTAGES  OF  BEING  WOUNDED  141 


u 


;  Poor  boy  !  "  she  said  mockingly.  "  It  is  unkind  of 
me  to  remind  you  of  your  vow,  when  you  have  already 
done  your  best  to  fulfil  it." 

"  Not  quite  my  best,  yet,"  I  muttered  sullenly. 

"Anyhow  I  think  you  have  done  quite  enough  to 
warrant  my  taking  you  into  my  confidence." 

She  said  this  quite  seriously,  and  glancing  up  at  her,  I 
saw  she  was  looking  into  a  glade  of  the  wood  with  a  pre- 
occupied expression  on  her  pretty  face,  which  showed  me 
that  it  was  in  reality  no  petty  trouble  which  worried  her. 

"This  scene  is  so  delightfully  restful.  I  love  the 
cool  green  lights  and  the  cool  grey  shadows  of  the 
woodlands  in  early  summer,"  she  remarked  absently. 

I  had  no  eyes  for  aught  but  the  face  of  the  speaker, 
though  I  was  indirectly  conscious  that  there  was  a  good 
deal  of  beauty  in  the  wood.  To  me  it  seemed  an 
appropriate  background,  that  was  all. 

"  Yes,"  I  said.  "  But  about  this  presentiment  of 
yours " 

"It  is  hardly  a  presentiment;  in  fact,  I  don't  know 
what  to  call  it,"  she  replied.  Then  she  turned  and  faced 
me.  "Now  listen.  There's  an  acquaintance  of  mine, 
whom  I  know  very  well  and  used  to  like  a  great  deal. 
Yes,  I  think  I  am  right  in  saying  used  to  like.  Well, 
for  some  undefined  reason,  my  liking  has  change  to  some- 
thing very  like  tear." 

"  For  what  reason  ? "  I  asked. 

"  None,"  she  replied.  "  Absolutely  there  is  no  reason 
whatever." 


142  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

"A  case  of  Dr.  Fell,"  I  said.  "Well,  avoid  your 
Dr.  Fell" 

'  "That  is  exactly  what  I  am  unable  to  do,"  she 
answered,  and  I  could  see  she  was  speaking  truly. 
"  This  fear  has  grown  up  in  some  degree,  I  think,  from 
a  subtle  sort  of  consciousness  that  the  person  in  question 
has  it  in  his  power  to  exert  a  curious  influence  over  me. 
I  seem  to  be  drawn  against  my  will  into  an  attitude 
towards  him  which  is  not  only  against  my  judgment, 
but  also  against  my  inclination." 

"Him?"  I  asked.     "Him?     Is  it  Mannering  ? " 

"  Why,  what  made  you  think  of  him  ?  Does  he 
affect  you  in  the  same  way  ? "  she  said  eagerly. 

"  Far  from  it,"  I  replied.  My  first  feeling  was  one 
of  delight  at  discovering  that  my  rival  was  more  feared 
than  loved.  But  as  I  thought  over  the  matter,  my 
astonishment  grew.  I  had  looked  upon  Mannering  as 
a  rival,  and  as  a  favoured  rival,  but  I  was  not  prepared 
to  hear  that  Evie  Maitland  was  afraid  of  him,  or  of 
any  other  man  for  the  matter  of  that,  and  I  said  so. 

"  A  month  ago,  I  should  have  laughed  at   the  idea 

myself,"  she  replied,  "  but  to-day "      She  shuddered 

slightly.  "  Now  you  know  why  I  feel  so  gay  this  morn- 
ing. The  fact  is,  when  on  awakening  this  morning 
I  realized  that  I  should  be  absolutely  free  from  his 
presence  for  two  whole  days,  I  hardly  knew  bow  to 
contain  myself  for  joy." 

"Surely  you  must  have  some  grounds  for  fearing 
him,  something  in  his  manner——** 


ADVANTAGES  OF  BEING  WOUNDED  143 

"  No.  Yet  I  have  thought — but  it  is  nothing.  When 
we  have  been  alone  together  he  has  sat  once  or  twice 
staring  at  me.  I  try  to  speak  to  him,  but  he  sits  and 
stares  and  stares,  with  his  eyes  so  bright  and  all  the 
time  so  sombre — so  penetrating  that  I  feel  that  he  sees 
quite  through  me.  Just  like  one  does  in  those  un- 
pleasant dreams  where  one's  clothes  have  somehow  dis- 
appeared. To-day,  and  now,  it  seems  very  silly,  yet  I 
am  certain  I  shall  feel  exactly  the  same  the  next  time  I 
meet  him.  Then  when  he  sees  how  confused  I  am  he 
gives  a  sort  of  a  laugh,  an  unpleasant  kind  of  a  chuckle 
without  any  merriment  in  it" 

«  He's  a  d d  cad  ! "  I  cried  hotly. 

"I — I  don't  know,"  she  answered.  "I  don't  seem 
to  mind  at  the  time.  It  is  just  as  if  I  were  in  a  dream, 
for  I  am  so  fascinated  in  watching  him  that  I  have 
no  thoughts  left  for  myself.  It  is  when  he  has  gone 
that  the  thought  seems  unpleasant.  Then  I  always 
think  I  will  never  see  him  again,  but  the  next  time  he 
calls  I  feel  bound  to  do  so.  There,  now  I  have  confided 
in  you,  don't  tell  me  I  am  a  weak  hysterical  girl  or 
I  really  don't  know  what  will  happen  to  me." 

She  laid  one  of  her  little  hands  on  my  arm  and 
looked  imploringly  into  my  eyes. 

"I  know  you  are  neither  weak  nor  hysterical,"  I 
replied. 

"  You  will  help  me,  won't  you  ? "  she  asked. 

I  took  both  hands  in  mine  and  looked  straight  into 
her  eyes. 


144  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

aThc  only  way  I  see  of  helping  you,"  I  said 
deliberately,  "is  for  you  to  give  me  the  right  to 
do  so.*' 

She  did  not  take  her  hands  from  my  grasp. 

*  «  *  • 

"Do  you  know,  Jim,"  she  said  an  hour  later,  when 
we  came  out  of  the  wood  into  the  meadow,  "  that  I  told 
you  not  to  speak  to  me  until  you  had  captured  the  Motor 
Pirate." 

**  You  could  not  answer  for  me,  darling,"  I  replied. 
*'  But  I  should  not  have  done  so  if  I " 

"  Had  not  found  the  temptation  to  do  so  irresistible," 
she  said,  taking  the  words  out  of  my  mouth  with  so 
bewitching  an  air,  that  again  I  found  an  irresistible 
temptation  confronting  me. 

We  did  not  revert  again  to  the  curious  influence 
which  Evie  had  declared  Mannering  exercised.  She 
would  not  allow  of  it.  She  wanted  to  think  that  he 
had  gone  completely  out  of  her  life,  and  that  no  more 
shadows  were  ever  to  fall  across  her  path.  And  I  was 
too  happy  myself  to  wish  to  refer  to  anything  which 
should  bring  an  unpleasant  memory  to  her  mind. 

I  shall  never  forget  our  walk  home.  The  silver 
thread  of  the  Ver,  the  old  monastery  gate-house  and  the 
ruins  of  Sopwell  Priory  in  the  foreground,  the  churches 
of  St.  Stephens  and  St  Michaels  on  either  hand,  and  in 
the  centre  of  the  picture  the  Abbey  of  St.  Albans  brood- 
ing over  all.  We  decided  to  be  married  in  the  abbey. 
I  trod  on  air. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

A   CLOUD    APPEARS   ON    LOVE's    HORIZON 

MANNKRING  remained  absent  for  a  week,  and  during 
that  time  I  learned  from  Evie  a  good  deal  about  the 
curious  dread  which  he  had  inspired  in  her  mind.  Had 
inspired,  I  say,  for  she  assured  me  it  had  passed  away, 
and  that  she  felt  quite  safe  now  she  was  promised 
to  be  my  wife.  Our  betrothal  had  been  announced  the 
day  after  the  never-to-be-forgotten  walk  to  Bricket  wood, 
and  I  had  hastened  to  make  it  known  as  widely  as  I 
could,  for  I  could  think  of  no  likelier  method  of  ensuring 
her  against  any  further  annoyance  on  the  part  of 
Manncring.  When  he  saw  that  he  had  lost,  I  could 
not  think  that  he  would  do  otherwise  than  retire  grace- 
fully from  the  scene.  If,  however,  he  failed  to  take 
his  failure  kindly,  I  should  not  have  the  slightest  hesitation 
about  sending  him  about  his  business.  I  should  have 
been  tempted  to  do  so  without  further  delay,  if  there 
had  in  reality  been  anything  in  Mannering's  conduct  to 
which  open  exception  could  have  been  taken.  Evic  re- 
cognized there  was  nothing  of  the  sort  as  strongly  as 
myself,  and  she  was  even  averse  to  do  as  I  suggested, 

145  fc 


i46  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

and  ask  her  father  to  hint  to  him  that  he  should,  for  a 
while  at  least,  cease  his  visits  to  the  house. 

'*  You  see,"  she  remarked,  "  if  he  had  made  himself 
offensive  in  any  other  way,  I  should  have  welcomed  the 
opportunity  of  speaking  to  papa  about  it.  But  he  has 
not.  His  attitude  has  been  outwardly  perfectly  courteous, 
and  papa  would  only  laugh  at  me  if  I  were  to  tell  him 
what  I  have  told  you.  He  would  not  believe  me  if  I 
told  him  I  was  afraid  of  Mr.  Mannering." 

**  Besides,  you  are  now  no  longer  afraid  ?  *'  I  said. 

u  No  ;  I  am  no  longer  afraid  of  him.  I  am  quite 
sure  of  that,"  she  repeated. 

The  manner  in  which  she  made  the  assertion  ought 
to  have  warned  me  that  she  was  not  quite  so  certain 
on  the  point  as  she  was  willing  to  believe,  but  no  such 
thought  crossed  my  mind  at  the  time. 

"  Anyhow,"  I  continued,  "  if  when  you  see  Manner- 
ing  again,  you  feel  any  recurrence  of  your  dread,  it  will 
be  easy  for  me  to  pick  a  quarrel  with  him,  and  so  compel 
him  to  absent  himself  from  the  house.  You  see,  he  will 
be  unable  to  come  here  without  meeting  me." 

Evie  pouted  a  dissent.  "  You  must  not  do  that,"  she 
remarked.  "A  quarrel  with  him  would  make  both  of 
us  look  ridiculous.  Everybody  would  conclude  that  you 
were  jealous ;  and  I — I  should  not  like  to  imagine  any 
one  thinking  that  I  gave  you  cause." 

u  My  own  darling  !  "  I  cried. 
*  *  *  *  * 

When  once   more   we  resumed  our  conversation,  I 


A   CLOUD   ON   LOVE'S   HORIZON     147 

bethought  me  of  another  plan,  and  I  suggested  to  Evie  that 
she  could  always  find  a  retreat  at  my  home  in  Norfolk, 
if  she  wanted  to  get  away  from  Mannering's  presence. 
My  aunt,  I  knew,  would  be  delighted  to  entertain  her. 
She  agreed  at  once  to  adopt  this  course  if  the  occasion 
should  arise.  Thus  I  thought  I  had  provided  against 
every  contingency  for  the  short  period  which  was  to 
elapse  before  our  wedding-day. 

When  Mannering  did  return,  however,  it  seemed 
as  if  we  had  been  making  preparations  to  meet  a  con- 
tingency which  was  never  likely  to  arise.  He  learned 
of  Evie's  engagement  from  the  Colonel,  the  morning  after 
his  return  to  St.  Albans.  He  took  the  news  very  well. 
Much  more  coolly  than  I  should  have  done  had  I  been 
the  disappointed  one.  In  fact,  a  few  minutes  after  he  had 
been  made  acquainted  with  Evie's  engagement,  he  came 
to  us  where  we  were  in  the  garden,  and  congratulated 
us  forthwith. 

"You  are  a  lucky  fellow,  Sutgrove,"  he  said.  **I 
had  cherished  a  faint  hope  that  your  luck  might  be  mine, 
and  now  the  only  consolation  I  have  is  that  the  best  man 
always  wins." 

Spoken  in  a  different  tone  than  that  which  he 
employed,  his  words  would  have  made  a  very  pretty 
compliment,  but  from  his  lips  the  words  seemed  to 
be  very  like  a  sarcasm.  However,  I  could  pardon 
the  expression  of  a  little  bitterness  under  the  circum- 
stances, so  I  made  no  reply ;  and,  turning  to  Evie, 
he  continued — 


i48  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

"I  trust    your  new  tie  will  not  put  an  end   to  the 

old  friendships,  Miss  Maitland  ?  " 

«  Why  should  it  ? "  she  asked. 

"  They  often  do,"  he  replied. 

"  Not  if  the  old  friendships  are  the  real  thing,"  I 
interjected. 

"  No ;  not  if  they  are  the  real  thing,"  he  repeated 
slowly.  "I  hope  you  will  find  mine  to  be  the  real 
thing." 

A  faint  smile  fluttered  across  his  face  as  he  spoke, 
and  was  gone  in  an  instant.  Neither  Evie  nor  myself 
knew  what  to  reply,  and  an  awkward  pause  ensued.  He 
seemed  to  feel  the  awkwardness  of  it  just  as  much  as 
either  of  us,  and  he  changed  the  subject  with  an  inquiry 
as  to  whether  anything  further  had  been  heard  or  seen 
of  the  Motor  Pirate  during  his  own  absence  in  Paris. 

"  I  have  been  far  too  busy  to  even  look  at  the  papers," 
he  explained,  *'  and  he  might  have  been  captured  for  all 
I  know." 

"No  such  luck,"  I  replied.  "This  time  he  seems 
to  have  disappeared  for  good." 

"  I  see  I  shall  have  to  take  up  your  job,  and  devote 
my  energies  to  the  task  of  his  capture,"  he  said  laugh- 
ingly. And,  turning  to  Evie,  he  said,  "I  presume  you 
will  not  allow  Sutgrove  to  take  any  risks  of  that  sort  now, 
Miss  Maitland  ? M 

Again  there  was  something  sarcastic  in  his  tone,  and 
I  could  see  by  the  flush  in  Evie's  cheek  that  the  question 
had  angered  her.  She  answered  almost  hotly — 


A  CLOUD   ON   LOVE'S   HORIZON     149 

*  I  am  quite  sure  if  any  one  can  capture  the  Pirate, 
Jim  can." 

"I  have  no  intention  of  giving  up  the  pursuit  just 
at  present,"  I  added  quietly,  with  a  glance  of  thanks  to 
my  dear  one  for  her  ready  championship. 

"I  don't  think  I  should  trouble  myself  about  any 
Motor  Pirate  if  I  were  in  your  position,"  he  replied. 
"  I  fancy  if  I  were  engaged  to  be  married  to  the  best 
girl  in  the  world,  the  first  thing  I  should  do  would  be 
to  eliminate  every  risk  from  my  life,  instead  of  looking 
about  for  fresh  ones.  Besides,  it  seems  scarcely  fair  on 
the  girl,  does  it  ? " 

u  Surely  that  depends  on  what  the  girl  thinks,  doesn't 
it  ? "  asked  Evie.  "  A  good  many  girls  haven't  much 
admiration  for  the  man  who  would  act  as  you  suggest." 

"  Ah,  well  1 "  returned  Mannering.  "  I  see  now 
where  Sutgrove  has  succeeded.  The  prize  always  goes 
to  the  adventurous." 

Again  there  was  a  subtle  provocation  in  his  tone — 
something  very  like  a  sneer.  An  angry  retort  was  on 
the  tip  of  my  tongue,  but  a  glance  from  Evie  checked 
it,  and  soon  after  he  left  us  together. 

"You  must  not  be  angry  with  him,"  she  said,  as 
soon  as  we  were  alone.  "  He  does  not  know  you  as 
I  do  ;  and  besides  I  think  he — he  must  be  disappointed." 

"There's  not  the  slightest  doubt  about  that,"  I 
answered  emphatically.  "  He  is  badly  hit,  and  he  takes 
it  pretty  well  considering.  I  know  I  shouldn't  have 
taken  my  gruel  so  coolly.  In  fact,  that  is  just  what 


150  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

I  don't  like  about  him.     One  never  knows  what  is  going 
on  behind  that  handsome  mask  of  his." 

"  Handsome,"  she  said.  "  Do  you  call  him  hand- 
some?" 

"  Yes.  I  should  say  he  was  one  of  the  handsomest 
men  of  my  acquaintance.  How  could  you  ever  bestow 
a  single  glance  or  thought  upon  me  when " 

Evie  placed  her  hand  upon  my  lips.  "  You  dear, 
foolish  old  boy,"  she  said.  "  There  is  only  one  face  in 
the  whole  wide  world  which  I  think  is  really  handsome, 
and  I  have  thought  so  from  the  first  time  I  caught  sight 
of  it." 

There  was  another  interlude  in  our  conversation — 
they  were  pretty  frequent  in  those  days — and  the  subject 
dropped  for  a  time.  It  recurred  frequently,  however, 
and  gradually  I  perceived  that  whatever  subject  we  dis- 
cussed, sooner  or  later,  Mannering's  name  was  bound  to 
crop  up.  At  first  I  rather  encouraged  Evie  to  talk  about 
him  ;  but,  after  a  while,  I  discovered  that  I  was  minister- 
ing to  the  feeling  which  I  thought  had  been  destroyed. 
I  could  not  help  but  notice  that,  soon  after  Mannering's 
return,  Evie's  high  spirits  became  subdued — her  gaiety 
less  spontaneous.  Yet  when  I  asked  her  whether  Man- 
nering's presence  produced  any  effect  upon  her,  she 
assured  me  to  the  contrary. 

Nor  did  I  see  how  Mannering  could  possibly  exert 
any  influence  over  her.  I  took  particular  care  that  he 
should  never  have  a  ttte-a-ttte  with  her.  Sometimes  she 
would  not  even  see  him  for  a  couple  of  days  at  a  time, 


A  CLOUD   ON   LOVE'S   HORIZON     151 

and  when  she  did,  it  would  be  merely  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  nearly  always  in  the  presence  of  Colonel  Maitland 
as  well  as  myself. 

It  appeared  to  me,  indeed,  as  if  Mannering  even  took 
pains  to  avoid  seeing  much  of  her  ;  and,  though  I  watched 
him  closely,  his  bearing  was  always  studiously  correct. 
He  was  the  same  insouciant  person  who  had  impressed 
me  so  favourably  upon  my  first  introduction  to  him. 
But  whether  it  was  owing  to  the  distrust  which  Erie's 
fear  of  him  had  impressed  upon  me,  or  because  I  could 
really  see  things  which  had  before  been  hidden  from 
my  sight,  I  certainly  did  observe  about  him  certain  singu- 
larities which  I  had  never  before  remarked.  I  saw,  for 
instance,  that,  in  speaking  of  his  face  as  a  handsome 
mask,  I  had  been  nearer  the  truth  than  I  had  known. 
On  more  than  one  occasion,  while  his  lips  were  parted 
in  a  genial  smile,  I  observed  in  his  eyes  an  expression 
strangely  at  variance  therewith.  It  was  the  expression 
of  a  cat  when  it  crouches  to  spring  upon  a  mouse.  I 
have  seen  that  look  bent  upon  my  betrothed.  I  have 
caught  it  directed  at  myself.  There  was  a  restlessness, 
too,  which  gave  the  lie  to  his  nonchalant  manner.  I 
could  see  that  he  forced  himself  to  remain  still.  His 
fingers  were  always  busy  with  something  or  other. 

These  were  trifles,  and  equally  trivial  seemed  the 
sarcasms  which  he  directed  at  me  now  and  again. 
These  I  attributed  to  the  ebullitions  of  temper,  natural 
enough  in  a  defeated  suitor.  In  my  heart  I  pitied 
him,  for  I  fancied  I  knew  what  a  struggle  it  must  have 


1 52  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

cost  him  to  stand  aside  and  watch  a  successful  rival's 
happiness. 

As  the  days  passed,  a  certain  constraint  appeared  to 
have  arisen  between  Evie  and  myself.  I  told  myself  that 
the  idea  was  foolish,  and  yet  I  knew  that  it  was  not 
so.  Mind,  I  had  not  the  slightest  doubt  as  to  the 
strength  of  Evie's  love  for  me.  She  expressed  it  clearly, 
yet  there  was  something  drawing  us  apart,  and  I  began 
to  be  afraid. 

Towards  the  middle  of  June  the  tension  became  so 
great,  that  I  could  see  the  time  had  arrived  when  it  would 
be  necessary  to  do  something ;  and,  one  night,  I  deter- 
mined to  mention  the  matter.  Accordingly,  after  dinner, 
I  persuaded  Evie  to  come  into  the  garden,  with  the  in- 
tention to  speak  firmly  in  my  mind.  There,  however, 
in  the  faint  light  of  the  summer  night,  with  the  sweet 
scent  of  the  early  roses  filling  the  air,  I  forgot  everything 
in  the  blissfulness  of  my  lot.  We  had  paced  our  favourite 
walk  once  in  silence — my  heart  was  too  full  of  delight  for 
speech — when,  as  we  retraced  our  steps,  to  my  surprise, 
Evie  burst  suddenly  into  passionate  tears.  Some  minutes 
elapsed  before  I  could  calm  her,  and  when  I  managed  at 
last  to  do  so,  it  needed  all  my  powers  of  persuasion  to 
get  her  to  confide  in  me  the  cause  of  her  outburst.  At 
first  she  said  it  was  nothing  but  the  hysteria  of  happi- 
ness. Then  she  asked  me,  with  a  fierce  clutch  on  my 
arm,  if  I  should  think  her  unmaidenly  if  she  asked  that 
our  wedding-day  should  be  hastened.  We  had  fixed  it 
for  September,  so  I  at  once  suggested  July. 


A  CLOUD   ON   LOVE'S   HORIZON     153 

Her  mood  changed  at  once.  She  said  she  was  noi 
reeling  well,  and  that  I  must  not  listen  to  her.  But 
being  now  thoroughly  alarmed  at  her  obviously  nervous 
condition,  I  questioned  her  until  I  elicited  from  her  that 
all  her  old  dread  of  Mannering  had  returned,  and  with 
double  intensity,  in  that  it  was  accompanied  by  a  pre- 
sentiment of  disaster  to  myself. 

"Jim,"  she  said,  looking  up  into  my  face  with  eyes 
which  glowed  in  the  faint  light  like  stars,  "I  shall  not 
feel  sure  of  you  until  I  am  with  you  always.  I  want  to 
be  near  you  to  look  after  you.  Every  moment  you  are 
absent  from  my  side,  I  am  imagining  all  sorts  of  horrible 
things  happening  to  you.  And  it  is  worse  to  bear, 
because,  it  seems  to  me,  that  I  am  the  cause  of 
it  all." 

I  strove  to  laugh  away  her  fears,  but,  say  what  I 
would,  I  could  not  dispel  the  thought  in  her  mind  that 
some  disaster  threatened  our  love.  Probing  her  mind 
for  the  foundation  .of  her  belief,  I  was  not  surprised  to 
find  that  Mannering  had  something  to  do  with  it. 

I  did  my  best  to  make  her  mind  easy,  while  deter- 
mining that  I  would  at  once  take  steps  to  secure  change 
of  air  and  scene  for  her  at  some  spot  where  my  late  rival 
should  not  come.  She  became  tolerably  composed  at  last, 
and  I  took  her  back  to  the  drawing-room,  where  I  was 
glad  to  find  Mrs.  Winter,  in  whom  I  recognized  a  most 
useful  sedative  for  over-excited  nerves. 

We  had  a  little  music,  and  with  that  and  the  com- 
monplaces of  conversation,  the  evening  passed  until  eleven 


154  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

had  struck,  and  the  Colonel's  yawns  warned  me  that  the 
time  had  arrived  for  taking  my  departure. 

The  Winters  and  myself  had  just  risen  to  leave  when 
we  heard  a  hasty  step  on  the  gravel  outside,  and,  turning, 
we  saw  a  man's  figure  at  one  of  the  French  windows 
opening  on  to  the  garden. 

"  Hullo  ! "  said  the  Colonel.     «  Who's  that  ? " 

The  new-comer  stepped  into  the  room,  and,  as  the 
light  fell  upon  his  face,  I  recognized  Forrest.  He  nodded 
to  me  and  turned  to  the  Colonel. 

"  I  trust  you  will  excuse  this  unceremonious  call  of 
mine,  Colonel  Maitland,"  he  said.  "  But  I  was  desirous 
of  seeing  Mr.  Sutgrove  immediately,  and  I  guessed  I 
should  find  him  here." 

"  I'll  excuse  you,  if  you  will  come  to  the  smoking- 
room  and  drink  Mr.  Sutgrove's  health  in  a  whisky-and- 
seltzer,"  replied  the  Colonel,  heartily. 

**I  don't  think  I  can  spare  the  time,"  said  the 
detective,  quietly. 

"  Nonsense,  man  !  You  must  drink  the  health  of 
my  future  son-in-law  !  "  he  declared. 

"Most  certainly,"  remarked  Forrest.  "I  can  find 

time  for  that,  even  though "  He  paused,  and  then 

said,  with  quiet  incisiveness,  '*  Even  though  the  Motor 
Pirate  is  upon  the  road  again  1 " 


CHAPTER  XV 

A    CLUB    AT   LAST 

IMMEDIATELY  Forrest  had  made  his  dramatic  announce- 
ment, I  glanced  at  Evie,  for  in  view  of  the  apprehension 
she  had  exhibited  earlier  in  the  evening,  I  was  just  a 
little  doubtful  as  to  whether  she  would  take  kindly  to 
the  renewal  of  my  attempts  to  catch  the  Pirate.  To 
my  satisfaction,  she  exhibited  no  signs  of  trepidation,  if 
she  did  not  appear  altogether  delighted  that  I  was  to 
have  another  opportunity  of  distinguishing  myself.  In 
fact  as  soon  as  the  detective  had  followed  Colonel 
Maitland  from  the  room,  she  told  me  that  she  was 
glad. 

<*I  don't  fear  for  you  a  scrap,  Jim.  At  least  not 
much,"  she  said.  "I  know  you  won't  do  anything 
foolish,  for  my  sake." 

I  interrupted  with,  "  Nor  for  my  own." 

"  And  do  you  know,"  she  continued,  "  I  have  a  queer 
sort  of  impression  that  when  the  Pirate  is  captured,  this 
horrible  depression  which  has  been  hanging  over  me  will 
disappear  altogether." 

**  Then  captured  he  must  be  without  delay,"  I  said. 
>S5 


156  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

u  Though  I  don't  sec  how  Mannering  will  be  affected 
thereby." 

a  I  am  not  so  sure  about  that,"  said  Evic. 

**  You  surely  cannot  think  that  Mannering  is  in  any 
way  connected  with  the  Motor  Pirate?"  I  inquired  in 
surprise,  for  any  such  idea  had  long  passed  from  my 
mind. 

"1  don't  know,**  she  remarked  dreamily;  "I  don't 
know.  But  I  should  not  be  surprised.  I  really  could 
believe  anything  about  him." 

I  reminded  her  of  the  steps  Forrest  had  taken  to 
assure  himself  that  there  were  no  grounds  for  such  a 
suspicion,  but  she  was  not  convinced  ;  so  I  forbore  to 
continue  the  discussion,  changing  the  conversation  to 
the  arrangements  to  be  made  for  her  proposed  visit  to 
Norfolk.  It  was  decided  that  I  should  write  at  once 
to  my  aunt,  and  that  she  should  be  ready  to  start  the 
moment  I  received  a  reply.  We  had  settled  all  the 
preliminaries  by  the  time  the  Colonel  and  Forrest 
returned,  and  I  bade  her  good  night,  feeling  quite  easy 
in  my  mind. 

"  I  am  delighted  to  be  able  to  congratulate  you,"  said 
Forrest,  the  moment  we  were  outside. 

a  I  am  the  luckiest  man  in  the  world,"  I  replied. 

*  You  are,"  returned  the  detective,  emphatically.  "  All 
the  same,  I  should  not  have  been  sorry  if  Miss  Maitland 
had  stuck  to  her  intention  of  refusing  to  listen  to  you 
until  after  the  capture  of  the  Pirate." 

••Why?"  I  demanded. 


A  CLUE   AT   LAST  157 

"  For  purely  selfish  reasons,"  he  replied.  "  I  take  it 
you  will  not  be  so  keen  on  the  chase.  Men  in  your 
position  don't  take  risks." 

I  held  out  my  hand  to  him.  "Put  your  fist  in 
that,"  I  said.  "  What  I  have  promised,  I  stick  to  ;  and, 
to  tell  the  truth,  I  was  never  keener  on  anything  in 
my  life." 

"That's  good  news  for  me,"  he  answered,  and  I 
could  tell  from  his  tone  that  he  meant  it.  Besides,  he 
was  not  a  man  given  to  the  paying  of  idle  compliments. 

We  were  walking  quietly  towards  my  cottage  as  we 
talked,  and  the  impulse  came  upon  me  to  confide  to  him 
the  presentiment  which  Evie  had  in  regard  to  the  capture 
of  the  Pirate  relieving  her  from  her  burden  of  fear.  That 
necessitated  my  explaining  as  well  as  I  could  the  curious 
influence  which  Mannering  exercised  over  her.  Forrest 
listened  attentively. 

"  Curious,"  he  muttered,  when  I  had  finished.  **  It 
is  very  curious  that  the  fellow  should  have  produced  such 
an  impression  on  Miss  Maitland.  By  the  way,  he  wab 
not  at  the  Colonel's  to-night." 

"  No,"  I  replied. 

"  I  wonder °  he  began.  He  never  finished  the 

sentence,  nor  did  he  speak  again  until  he  reached  my 
door.  There  he  paused,  and  said  lightly,  "I  think  ] 
should  like  to  discover  whether  the  disappointed  lover  u 
at  home  to-night.  Are  you  prepared  for  a  little  amateur 
burglary,  Sutgrove  ? " 

"  Ready  for  anything,"  I  assured  him, 


158  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

"  It  seems  a  little  absurd  to  suspect  Mannering,"  he 
remarked  meditatively.  "Yet  there  are  times  when  a 
woman's  intuition  is  a  better  guide  than  a  man's  ratiocin- 
ation." 

"  You  didn't  get  any  clue  in  Amsterdam,  then  ? "  I 
asked  tentatively,  for  I  was  curious  to  hear  the  results 
of  his  journey. 

"  No,  no.     Nothing  at  all  in  Holland." 

44  If  Mannering  were  the  Pirate,  and  had  tried  to 
dispose  of  his  plunder  there,  you  would  in  all  probability 
have  caught  him  j  but  he  would  scarcely  have  chosen  to 
go  abroad  at  the  same  time  as  yourself,"  I  remarked. 

Forrest  emitted  a  long,  low  whistle.  "  By  Jove  ! " 
he  said.  "Then  it  was  indeed  he  whom  I  saw  in 
Vienna." 

"  In  Vienna  ? "  I  queried. 

**  When  did  he  leave  England  ?  "  asked  the  detective, 
ignoring  my  question. 

**  The  very  day  you  left,"  I  replied  promptly. 

"  Come,  this  is  getting  interesting,"  he  said.  "  To- 
night we  will  most  certainly  let  the  Pirate  do  his  worst 
on  the  roads.  We  will  look  for  a  clue  to  the  mystery 
of  his  identity  nearer  home."  He  looked  at  his  watch. 
"It's  a  little  too  early  to  pay  our  call,  so  if  you  don't 
mind,  I  will  come  in  and  we  can  discuss  the  matter  at 
leisure." 

To  say  that  Forrest's  enigmatic  utterances  filled  me 
with  excitement,  very  inadequately  expresses  the  state 
of  my  mind.  He  followed  me  indoors,  and,  while  I 


A  CLUE  AT  LAST  159 

mixed  a  drink  for  each  of  us,  he  saw  that  the  windows 
and  doors  were  closed.  Then  seating  himself  in  an 
easy  chair,  he  selected  a  cigar  and  remarked — 

**  Now  we  can  talk." 

"  I  thought  you  only  intended  to  go  to  Amsterdam,** 
I  began. 

"  That  was  my  intention,"  he  replied.  "  But  before 
giving  you  the  results  of  my  inquiries — it  won't  take 
long,  by  the  way — I  should  like  to  ask  you  one  or  two 
questions,  if  I  may  ? " 

"  Fire  away,"  I  said. 

**  Did  you  mention  to  any  one  where  I  had  gone  ? " 

"  Not  to  a  soul.  At  least  certainly  not  at  the  time, 
though  I  have  probably  mentioned  the  matter  to  Miss 
Maitland  since." 

"  Oh,  you  young  lovers  ! "  he  interjected. 

"  She  would  not  speak  of  the  matter,  I  know.  I 
gave  out  to  every  one  else  that  you  had  been  recalled 
to  London." 

"  Anyway,  it  would  not  have  mattered  if  she  had,  as 
Mannering  left  on  the  same  day  as  myself.  Where  did 
he  say  he  was  going  ? " 

"He  said  he  was  bound  for  Paris  on  business  con- 
nected with  some  patents  he  was  applying  for.  He  told 
us  he  would  be  absent  for  two  or  three  days ;  and  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  he  was  away  for  ten." 

"  That  would  about  fit  in,"  remarked  the  detective, 
after  a  moment's  thought.  **  But  of  that  you  shall  judge 
for  yourself."  He  moistened  his  lips  and  pulled  at  his 


160  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

cigar  until  it  was  well  alight,  and  then  he  commenced 
his  story. 

"I  carried  out  my  original  intention,  and  the  night 
after  I  left  you  I  caught  the  8.30  at  Liverpool  Street. 
The  next  morning  I  was  in  Amsterdam.  I  stayed  there 
three  days,  until  I  was  quite  convinced  that  no  such 
parcel  of  diamonds  as  had  been  stolen  had  been  offered 
for  sale  to  any  of  the  Dutch  dealers.  I  could  not  have 
failed  to  hear  of  it  if  any  such  attempt  had  been  made. 
While  there  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  a  Russian  agent,  whose  work  I  fancy 
must  have  been  largely  political.  Ivan  Stroviloff  his 
name  was,  and  he  had  acquaintances  in  most  European 
capitals.  I  discussed  the  matter  with  him.  He  thought 
that  an  attempt  to  dispose  of  the  stones  was  much  more 
likely  to  be  made  in  Vienna  or  St.  Petersburg  than 
anywhere  else  except  Paris.  I  was  aware  of  our  agents 
in  Paris  having  been  fully  informed,  and  I  knew  it  was 
not  worth  my  while  to  go  there ;  but  beyond  notifying 
the  Austrian  police,  I  doubted  whether  any  steps  had 
been  taken  in  regard  to  Vienna,  so  I  determined  to 
proceed  to  the  Austrian  capital.  Stroviloff  proved  a 
very  decent  fellow,  rather  an  exception  to  the  general 
run,  for  I  don't  take  to  those  Russian  agents  as  a  rule ; 
and  as  I  was  able  to  give  him  a  few  hints  and  some 
introductions  over  here — he  was  going  on  to  London — 
he  gave  me  in  return  letters  to  some  of  his  colleagues  in 
Vienna  and  Petersburg,  thinking  they  would  probably 
be  of  more  use  to  me  than  application  through  the  usual 


A   CLUE   AT   LAST  161 

official  channels.  Well,  I  went  on  to  Vienna.  I  won't 
weary  you  with  a  history  of  my  fruitless  inquiries,  is 
would  take  far  too  much  time.  Anyhow,  I  did  find 
eventually  that  a  parcel  of  diamonds  had  been  disposed 
of  there,  and,  as  Stroviloff  had  predicted,  I  obtained  the 
information  through  one  of  the  Russian  agents  and  not 
through  the  Viennese  police.  I  will  say  that  I  do  not 
see  how  the  latter  could  have  helped  me,  for  the  pur- 
chaser was  the  representative  of  a  Petersburg  house  who 
happened  to  be  in  Vienna  for  the  purpose  of  attending 
the  sale  of  the  Princess  Novikoff's  jewels — you  probably 
saw  all  about  it  in  the  papers." 

It  was  a  remarkable  sale,  and  the  extraordinary  prices 
realized  are  probably  fresh  in  most  people's  memories. 
I  told  Forrest  I  had  seen  accounts  of  it,  and  he 
continued. 

"Unfortunately  I  did  not  get  the  information  until 
after  the  representative  in  question  had  returned  to 
Petersburg.  There  was  nothing  left  for  me  to  do  but 
to  follow  him  there  if  I  wanted  to  satisfy  myself  as  to 
whether  the  stones  of  which  I  had  heard  were  really  the 
ones  stolen  from  the  mail.  It  was  rather  like  a  wild 
goose  chase,  but  I  went.  It  was  the  day  before  I  started 
that  I  saw  the  man  who  reminded  me  so  forcibly  of  your 
friend  Mannering.  It  was  a  very  fleeting  glimpse  of  a 
face  which  looked  in  at  the  door  of  a  restaurant  where 
I  happened  to  be  dining,  and  I  should  not  like  to  swear 
that  it  was  he  whom  I  saw.  At  the  time,  I  put  my 
fancy  down  to  one  of  those  casual  likenesses  which 

M 


1 62  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

sometimes  lead  even  keen  observers  to  accost  total 
strangers  in  the  streets  as  acquaintances.  The  likeness 
was,  however,  undeniable,  in  spite  of  something  strange 
about  his  appearance.  However,  I  paid  no  attention  to 
the  incident,  and  tfie  next  morning  I  was  on  my  way  to 
Petersburg.  There  I  found  no  difficulty  in  obtaining 
full  particulars  from  the  dealer.  I  have  no  doubt  but 
that  he  has  purchased  the  stones  which  were  stolen  from 
the  Brighton  mail.  In  size,  weight,  and  quality  they 
answered  to  the  description  perfectly.  I  learned  from 
him  that  the  man  from  whom  he  had  bought  the  stones 
had  been  introduced  to  him  by  a  well-known  Viennese 
jeweller.  The  price  asked,  though  not  very  greatly 
below  market  value,  was  low  enough  to  tempt  him  to 
purchase.  The  man  who  offered  them  suggested  that 
payment  should  be  made,  not  to  himself,  but  to  his  firm 
in  Amsterdam.  The  transaction  seemed  in  every  way 
bond  fidey  the  explanation  as  to  the  low  price  being  that 
the  Amsterdam  firm  was  rather  pressed  for  cash,  and  so 
compelled  to  realize  some  of  its  stock,  but  was  unable  to 
do  so  in  Amsterdam  for  fear  of  jeopardizing  its  credit. 
The  man  who  sold  the  stones  gave  the  name  of  Josef 
Hoffman,  and  the  merchant  produced  his  card  which 
bore  the  name  of  Jacob  Meyer  and  Meyer,  and  an 
address  in  the  De  Jordaan,  Amsterdam.  He  was 
described  to  me  as  a  tall,  powerful,  fresh-coloured,  fair- 
haired  German,  of  pleasant  manners  and  address.  The 
Petersburg  merchant's  representative  had  given  him  a 
draft  on  an  Amsterdam  bank  and,  on  reaching  the 


A   CLUE   AT  LAST  163 

Russian  capital,  after  examining  the  stones,  his  employer 
had  authorized  the  payment  of  the  draft  by  telegraph. 

"  As  soon  as  I  obtained  these  particulars,  I  started 
once  more  for  the  Dutch  city  without  wasting  much 
time.  Needless  to  say,  I  was  too  late  to  catch  my  man. 
The  office  in  the  De  Jordaan  I  found  to  be  a  room 
which  had  been  taken  for  a  week  or  two,  and  then 
vacated,  by  a  person  whom  I  easily  identified  as  the 
fair-haired  German.  The  draft  had  been  exchanged 
for  a  draft  on  the  banker's  London  agents  by  the  same 
man.  I  came  on  to  London  immediately,  but  Hoffman, 
or  whatever  his  name  may  be,  was  a  week  ahead  of  me. 
I  traced  him  to  the  London  bank  where  he  had  cashed 
his  draft.  He  did  it  in  the  coolest  manner  imaginable. 
He  left  it  one  day  saying  that  he  required  gold,  and  that 
if  they  would  get  the  amount  ready — it  was  over  ^4000 
— he  would  call  for  it  the  next  day.  He  actually  allowed 
two  days  to  elapse  before  doing  so.  Then  he  came  in 
a  cab  with  a  handbag  and  took  away  the  gold.  That 
at  present  is  as  far  as  I  have  got.  I  only  learned  the 
last  of  these  particulars  this  afternoon,  and  of  course  I 
went  at  once  to  the  Yard  to  make  my  report  and  to 
arrange  for  the  circulation  of  the  description  of  the 
fair-haired  German  throughout  the  country.  Then  I 
came  on  to  you.'* 

Forrest  finished  his  drink  and  stood  up.  "  Now  you 
know  as  much  about  the  case  as  I  do,"  he  remarked, 
"  and  I  fancy  it  is  about  time  for  us  to  pay  our  proposed 
visit  to  our  friend  Mannering." 


1 64  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

"I  don't  see  how  you  can  connect  him  in  any  way 
with  Hoffman,"  I  said,  as  I  rose  from  my  seat. 

Forrest  smiled.  "I  omitted  to  tell  you  one  thing," 
he  observed.  "  I  could  not  see  the  hair  of  the  man  in 
Vienna  whose  face  seemed  familiar  to  me.  But  one 
thing  I  did  remark.  The  man  with  Mannering's  face 
wore  a  fair  moustache." 

"  But  Mannering's  is  dark,"  I  argued.  "  It  was  dark 
when  he  went  away  and  dark  when  he  returned." 

Forrest  held  up  his  hand  mockingly.  "In  these 
days  of  scientific  progress  nothing  is  easier  than  for  the 
intelligent  leopard  to  change  his  spots.  Ask  the  brunette 
when  fashion  decrees  that  fair  hair  is  to  be  worn,  and 
ask  again  of  the  blonde  how  she  manages  when  the 
exigencies  demand  raven  tresses." 

That  settled  me.  "There's  only  one  thing  more," 
I  said.  "  When  did  you  hear  that  the  Motor  Pirate 
was  at  work  again  ? " 

"  At  St.  Albans.  I  called  at  the  police  office  on  my 
way  here.  He  was  seen  about  ten  o'clock  this  side  of 
Peterborough  and  going  north." 

"  It  will  be  rather  a  sell  if  Mannering  is  at  home,"  I 
remarked. 

"He  will  not  be  at  home,"  replied  Forrest  with 
conviction. 


CHAPTER    XVI 

I   COMMIT    A    BURGLARY 

THE  night  was  moonless,  but  there  was  that  soft  diffused 
light  in  the  air  invariable  in  June,  except  on  the  cloudiest 
of  evenings.  There  was  just  enough  of  it  to  enable  us  to 
see  our  way  as  we  strolled  towards  Mannering's  house. 
When  we  reached  it  everything  appeared  still.  All  the 
windows  were  dark.  I  felt  my  heart  beginning  to  beat 
faster  than  ordinarily  as  Forrest  lifted  the  latch  of  the 
gate  opening  on  to  the  strip  of  garden,  which  lay  between 
the  road  and  the  house.  We  walked  along  the  turf 
edging  of  the  path  in  order  that  our  feet  might  not  crunch 
upon  the  gravel.  Forrest  was  first.  He  went  straight  to 
the  front  door  and  tried  it.  It  was  fast. 

"We  will  try  one  of  those  French  windows,*'  he 
whispered  after  returning  to  my  side. 

The  house  was  a  two-story  cottage  with  a  verandah 
opening  on  the  south  side  facing  a  lawn.  On  to  this 
verandah  windows  opened  from  both  the  dining  and 
sitting-rooms,  the  servants'  quarters  being  on  the  other 
side  of  the  house. 

We  went  round  the  angle  of  the  building  and  tried 
165 


1 66  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

the  first  windbw.  It  was  fastened.  With  cat-like  tread 
Forrest  glided  on  to  the  second.  It  was  one  of  the  two 
giving  entrance  to  the  sitting-room.  A  sibilant  sound 
from  the  detective's  lips  took  me  to  his  side.  Without 
hesitating  a  second,  he  threw  back  the  casement  and 
stepped  into  the  darkness. 

"  Come,"  he  muttered,  and  I  followed. 

Heavy  curtains  veiled  the  windows  and  past  these  the 
darkness  was  thick  enough  to  be  felt.  Of  a  sudden  there 
was  a  crack  which  made  me  start.  It  was  only  Forrest 
striking  a  match.  With  imperturbable  confidence,  he 
stepped  towards  a  table  and  lit  the  lamp  which  stood 
thereon.  I  felt  exceedingly  uncomfortable,  but  Forrest 
obviously  knew  no  such  qualms,  for  he  at  once  proceeded 
to  examine  every  object  in  the  room.  So  far  as  I  could  see, 
there  was  nothing  at  all  unusual  about  the  place.  The 
room  was  in  exactly  the  same  condition  as  I  had  observed 
it  hundreds  of  times  before  when  I  had  dropped  in  for  a 
smoke  and  a  chat.  On  the  table,  beside  the  lamp,  was  a 
tantalus  and  a  glass,  and  a  half  empty  syphon.  The  glass 
had  been  used  and  the  ash  on  the  floor,  beside  an  armchair, 
showed  that  a  cigar  had  accompanied  the  drink.  A  pair 
of  slippers  lay  on  the  hearth  rug  as  if  they  had  been  care- 
lessly kicked  off.  Forrest  pointed  to  them. 

"  Mannering  is  not  at  home,"  he  said.  "  If  he  had  gone 
to  bed,  these  would  not  be  here.*' 

"  I  hope  he  will  not  return  while  we  are  about,"  I 
muttered. 

"  It  would  be  a  little  awkward  for  him,"  said  Forrest. 


I   COMMIT  A   BURGLARY         167 

calmly.     *'  I  should   be  compelled   to  arrest  him  in  self- 
defence,  and  I  am  not  prepared  to  do  so  at  present." 

He  did  not,  however,  hurry  his  movements  in  any  way 
as  he  proceeded  to  deliberately  search  the  room.  Only 
once  did  he  pause,  and  that  was  when  he  discovered  a  con- 
tinental time-table  of  recent  date.  He  brought  the  book 
to  the  light  and  turned  over  the  pages  carefully.  A  gleam 
of  exultation  crossed  his  face,  as  he  pointed  out  to  me  a 
trace  of  tobacco  ash  between  the  pages  which  gave  details 
of  the  train  service  between  Vienna  and  Amsterdam. 

"  We  are  on  the  right  track,"  he  observed. 

But  that  one  slight  piece  of  evidence  was  all  that  the 
most  careful  examination  of  the  room  revealed,  although 
there  was  not  a  drawer  nor  a  shelf  which  he  did  not  over- 
haul. 

«*  We  must  try  his  bedroom,"  he  remarked,  when  he 
had  finished  with  the  sitting-room. 

«« What  about  the  servants  ? "  I  asked. 

"If  they  arc  not  asleep,  they  will  merely  imagine  that 
it  is  their  master  going  to  bed,"  he  replied,  as  taking  a 
candlestick,  which  stood  on  an  occasional  table  near  the 
door,  he  passed  out  of  the  room.  I  followed  him  upstairs, 
with  my  heart  in  my  mouth,  and  pointed  out  to  him  the 
door  of  the  room  which  Mannering  occupied.  As  Forrest 
turned  the  handle  and  entered,  I  was  quite  prepared  to 
make  a  bolt  for  it.  I  should  not  have  been  a  bit  surprised 
to  have  discovered  our  suspect  sleeping  quietly  within. 
But  Forrest  turned  and  beckoned  me  to  enter.  The  room 
was  empty,  and  this  time  I  assisted  the  detective  in  hi* 


1 68  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

search.  Between  us  we  subjected  the  bedroom  and  the 
adjoining  dressing-room  to  the  closest  scrutiny,  but  with- 
out result.  We  could  not,  unfortunately,  make  an  ex- 
haustive examination,  for  there  were  one  or  two  ancient 
presses  which  were  locked,  and  the  Chubb  safe  let  into 
the  wall  by  the  bed  head  was  likewise  fastened. 

The  detective  shrugged  his  shoulders  when  we  had 
done. 

"As  we  haven't  a  burglar's  outfit,  we  shall  have  to 
wait  until  we  have  a  search  warrant,"  he  muttered. 

With  a  disappointed  air  he  led  the  way  out  of  the 
room.  On  the  landing  he  paused.  His  keen  gaze  had  rested 
for  a  moment  on  a  travelling  bag  which  stood  under  s 
table.  There  were  the  remains  of  a  number  of  label- 
upon  it  and  he  scanned  them  carefully.  There  was  no 
sufficient  of  any  one  of  them  left  for  identification. 

"  He's  a  clever  devil,"  he  whispered. 

Then  he  opened  the  bag  and  again  his  countenan 
lightened.     Inside  was  an  empty  bottle  bearing  the  labc 
of  a  London  chemist,  with  the  additional  superscription- 
"  Peroxide  of  Hydrogen." 

"  The  fair  hair  is  accounted  for,"  commented  Forrest. 
*'  And  as  for  the  dye  which  would  restore  his  locks  to  their 
natural  colour,  I  presume  he  has  it  under  lock  and  key." 

He  slipped  the  bottle  into  his  pocket  and  returned 
downstairs,  I  following  at  his  heels. 

"  There's  not  enough  at  present  against  him  to  war- 
rant his  arrest,"  he  said,  when  we  were  again  in  the 
sitting-room. 


1   COMMIT   A   BURGLARY         169 

"  Then  why  not  have  a  look  round  his  workshops,"  I 
suggested. 

"  His  what  ? "  queried  Forrest,  eagerly. 

**  Haven't  I  ever  mentioned  them  to  you  ?  Haven't 
you  ever  heard  that  Mannering  spends  all  his  spare  time  in 
experimental  motor  construction  ?"  I  asked  in  surprise. 

"I  think  I  have  heard  it  mentioned,  but  until  this 
moment  I  have  always  thought  it  was  chaff,"  he  replied. 

"  Good  heavens  !  "  I  ejaculated. 

"I  should  have  been  inside  that  shop  a  couple  of 

months  ago,"  he  continued,  "  if  I  had  thought 

Whereabouts  is  the  shop  ?  " 

"  Just  at  the  back  of  the  house  and  abutting  on  the 
side  of  the  road,"  I  explained.  "  The  old  coach-house  and 
stables."  Then  as  the  thought  occurred  to  me,  I  con- 
tinued, "  Why  I  heard  him  tell  you  of  his  work  himself." 

*'  That's  precisely  the  reason  why  I  paid  no  attention 
to  it,"  said  my  companion.  "  Can  you  take  me  to  the 
place?" 

I  led  the  way  through  the  French  window,  Forrest 
putting  out  the  light  before  he  followed  me,  and  carefully 
closing  the  casement  behind  him  as  he  stepped  on  to  the 
verandah.  A  clock,  somewhere  in  St.  Albans,  struck  the 
half  after  two  as  we  crossed  the  lawn  in  the  direction  of 
the  workshop. 

"We  have  only  a  short  time  at  our  disposal," 
whispered  Forrest.  "The  darkness  is  lifting,  and  our 
friend  will  soon  be  returning." 

We  passed   through   a  side   door,  which  we   found 


i  yo  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

unlocked,  into  what  had  once  been  the  stable-yard.  But 
we  could  get  no  further.  The  two  doors  which  gave 
admission  to  the  building  were  firmly  fastened,  and  there 
was  no  available  window  by  which  we  might  gain 
entrance.  We  retraced  our  steps,  and,  passing  out  of 
the  door,  approached  the  stables  from  the  road.  By  this 
time  the  dawn  had  made  such  progress  that  we  knew 
our  chances  of  getting  inside  before  Mannering's  return 
were  dwindling  rapidly.  We  found  no  more  likelihood 
of  obtaining  admission  from  this  side  than  the  other. 

"I  cannot  arrest  a  man  on  the  evidence  of  a  few 
grains  of  tobacco  dust,  and  an    empty   phial,"  declared 
Forrest,  savagely,  as  he  shook  the  tightly  locked  door. 
«  Listen  1 "  I  said. 

Borne  on  the  wind  came  the  throb  of  a  motor.  So 
still  was  the  air  that  when  the  sound  first  reached  our 
ears  it  must  have  been  a  mile  away.  The  sound  drew 
nearer  and  nearer,  and  while  it  was  still  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  distant,  I  recognized  the  familiar  noise  of  Manner- 
ing's  car,  a  sound  as  dissimilar  to  the  hum  of  the 
Pirate  car  as  it  was  possible  to  conceive. 

"  Forrest,"  I  cried,  turning  to  my  companion,  "  we 
must  be  mad  to  think  that  Mannering  could  play  the 
part  of  the  Motor  Pirate  on  that  old  car  of  his.** 

There  was  something  so  irresistibly  ludicrous  in  the 
idea,  that  we  both  indulged  in  a  hearty  fit  of  laughter, 
and  with  one  accord  we  turned  and  walked  down  the  road. 

**  He  may  keep  his  fast  car  elsewhere,"  remarked  the 
detective,  when  his  mirth  had  subsided. 


I   COMMIT  A  BURGLARY         171 

•*  It  would  be  difficult  to  bring  the  guilt  home  to  him 
if  we  failed  to  discover  the  car,"  I  replied. 

A  few  seconds  later  we  met  the  man  whom  we  had 
so  lately  suspected.  I  felt  a  tinge  of  shame  at  the  thought 
that,  a  few  minutes  previously,  I  had  been  sneaking  into 
his  house  in  the  hope  that  I  should  find  evidence  to  convict 
him  of  a  crime.  By  this  time  dawn  was  sufficiently 
advanced  to  allow  of  recognition,  and  as  he  came  level 
with  us  Mannering  pulled  up. 

"  Hullo,  Sutgrove  !  "  he  shouted.  "  You're  about 
betimes.  Been  on  the  same  job  as  myself  ?  " 

"  What's  that,  Mr.  Mannering  ?  "  asked  Forrest 

**  Looking  for  an  opportunity  to  pay  back  this  little 
debt,"  was  the  light  answer,  as  the  speaker  tapped  his 
shoulder  gently. 

"  Any  luck  ? "  said  Forrest,  dryly. 

"  Not  a  scrap,"  was  the  ready  reply.  **  You  see  I'm 
a  bit  handicapped  with  this  old  car,  for  unless  the  fellow 
happens  to  take  the  same  road  as  myself,  there's  precious 
little  chance  of  my  picking  him  up.  Still,  if  you  do  not 
soon  succeed  in  catching  him,  I  think  I  shall  have  a  good 
try  myself." 

"  I  suppose  by  that  you  know  who  he  is,"  I  remarked, 
more  in  order  to  see  what  he  would  say  than  in  the  hope 
of  eliciting  anything. 

"  Not  the  slightest  idea  on  the  subject,"  he  responded 
promptly.  "I  am  merely  hoping  that  in  a  few  days  I 
shall  be  in  possession  of  a  new  motor  from  which  even 
the  Pirate  will  be  unable  to  escape." 


THE   MOTOR    PIRATE 

I  made  a  gesture  of  surprise. 

"  Fact,"  he  continued.  "  My  experiments  have 
proved  successful  at  last.  In  a  week  I  shall  have  delivered 
to  me  the  new  motor  I  have  designed,  and  then  the  Pirate 
had  better  look  out.  Good  night." 

Waving  an  adieu,  he  set  his  car  in  motion,  and  jogged 
along  until  he  reached  the  door  of  his  coach-house.  We 
watched  him  dismount,  unlock  the  door,  and  disappear 
inside. 

"It  beats  me,"  remarked  Forrest. 

*'  Surely  you  do  not  still  harbour  any  suspicion  con- 
cerning him  ? "  I  inquired  in  amazement. 

Forrest  made  no  reply.  His  head  was  bent,  his 
brow  knitted  deeply,  his  hands  clasped  behind  him  as  we 
turned  and  walked  back  to  my  place.  He  did  not  speak 
until  we  stopped  on  my  doorstep. 

**  I  wish  he  had  not  seen  us,"  my  companion  then 
remarked.  "  He  will  be  bound  to  tumble  to  the  con- 
clusion that  we  suspect  him,  and  will  be  on  his  guard." 

**  Then  you  do  still  suspect  him,"  I  cried  again. 

"  If  I  had  one  scrap  of  direct  evidence,"  replied  the 
detective,  emphatically,  "  I  would  have  him  under  arrest 
within  half  an  hour.  Only  one  little  scrap,"  he  almost 
groaned.  "  But,  as  it  is,  my  reputation  would  not  survive 
if  I  made  a  mistake." 

"  Why,  you  don't  imagine  that  he  would  go  so  far  as 
to  shoot  himself  just  to  avert  suspicion,"  I  asked,  still 
incredulous. 

Forrest   drew    himself  up  smartly.      "  Good  Lord  I 


I   COMMIT  A   BURGLARY         173 

What  a  fool  I  am  !  What — a — blind — dunderheaded — 
jackass  ! "  he  cried. 

**  What's  the  matter  now  ? "  I  inquired  smiling,  for 
the  detective  was  groping  in  his  pockets.  "  Have  you 
lost  anything  ?  ** 

From  his  waistcoat  pocket  he  produced  a  small  leaden 
bullet,  and  he  held  it  outstretched  in  the  palm  of  his 
hand. 

"  Here  have  I  been  wasting  weeks  on  the  continent, 
while  with  this  I  might  have  settled  the  matter  once  and 
for  all." 

"How?"  I  asked. 

"I  needed  but  to  compare  this  with  the  bullet  the 
surgeon  extracted  from  Mannering's  shoulder.  This  is 
the  one  which  killed  the  poor  fellow  near  Towcester.  If 
Mannering's  bullet  is  identical  with  this,  I  should  have 
nothing  more  to  say ;  but,"  he  continued  meaningly,  "both 
your  revolver  and  mine  are  of  a  different  calibre  to  the 
weapon  which  fired  this.  If  the  bullet  which  hit 
Mannering  should  prove  to  fit  either  of  our  weapons, 
there  would  be  no  need  to  seek  for  further  evidence.  I 
must  see  that  surgeon  at  once." 

He  started  off  rapidly  down  the  garden  path.  I 
hurried  after  him  and  laid  my  hand  on  his  arm. 

"  Steady,  old  man,"  I  remarked.  "  You  can  hardly 
knock  up  a  hardworked  medical  man  at  3.30  a.m.  just 
to  ask  him  a  question." 

Forrest  stopped  and  gave  a  short  laugh.  "  Upon  my 
word,  I  had  entirely  forgotten  what  the  time  was.  No, 


174  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

you  arc  quite  right.  There  is  no  need  for  such  excessive 
hurry.  Mannering  is  safe  enough  for  the  present." 

"  At  least,  for  the  next  eighteen  hours,"  I  observed, 
after  glancing  at  my  watch.  "  Meanwhile,  your  room 
ha*  been  kept  ready  for  you.'* 

**  A  little  sleep  will  not  come  amiss,"  he  answered, 
yawning ;  "  though  it  seems  almost  a  pity  to  go  to  bed  on 
such  a  morning." 

He  was  right.  By  this  time  dawn  was  breaking  with 
a  splendour  I  have  never  seen  equalled  before  nor  since. 
From  east  to  west  the  sky  was  stained  and  flecked  with 
crimson  and  gold,  and  our  faces  glowed  ruddily  in  the 
reflected  light.  We  both  fell  to  silence,  as  with  our 
faces  to  the  east  we  watched  the  uprising  of  the  sun  ; 
and,  until  the  sky  paled  as  the  sun  made  its  appearance 
above  the  line  of  the  horizon,  we  did  not  stir. 

Then  Forrest  drew  a  deep  breath.  "  There's  been 
the  beauty  of  destruction  in  the  sunrise,"  he  remarked. 
**  We  shall  have  a  storm  before  nightfall." 

He  followed  me  indoors,  and,  leaving  him  at  the  door 
of  his  room,  I  went  to  my  own.  I  got  into  my  pyjamas, 
but  I  did  not  feel  inclined  to  sleep  for  the  sunbeams 
were  glancing  in  at  my  window,  and  all  about  were  the 
sound  and  movement  of  the  awakening  earth-creatures. 
I  wheeled  an  easy  chair  to  the  window,  and  wrapping  a 
blanket  about  me,  took  a  novel  I  had  been  reading  and 
strove  to  fix  my  attention  on  the  pages.  I  could  not  do 
so.  Whether  it  was  the  reflex  action  of  the  brain  from 
the  excitement  of  the  evening  or  not,  but  the  fact  was 


I   COMMIT  A  BURGLARY         175 

I  felt  unaccountably  depressed.  I  fought  against  the 
feeling  as  best  I  could.  But  I  could  not  get  out  of  my 
head  the  idea  that  some  great  danger  was  threatening, 
not  myself,  but  the  one  dearest  to  me  in  the  world. 
From  my  window  I  could  see  her  home,  and  I  drew  the 
chair  into  a  position  where  my  eyes  might  rest  upon  the 
roof  which  sheltered  her.  There  was  some  consolation 
in  this,  and  I  watched  until  I  eventually  fell  into  an 
uneasy  slumber,  from  which  I  awakened  unrefrrshed  and 
ill  at  ease. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

STORM 

MY  tub  pulled  me  together  to  some  extent,  but  I  still 
felt  restless  when  I  went  downstairs.  Forrest  had 
already  gone  out,  leaving  word  that  he  expected  to  be 
back  to  breakfast  at  the  usual  hour.  I  went  into  the 
garden,  but  the  sun  was  shining  in  a  cloudless  sky  and 
there  was  not  a  breath  of  air  stirring.  It  was  insuffer- 
ably hot  and  I  was  glad  to  return  into  the  shade  of  the 
house. 

The  detective  came  in  panting,  a  little  later,  with 
disappointment  plainly  written  in  his  face. 

u  The  surgeon  out  ? "  I  inquired. 

"No,**  he  answered.  "But  he  was  not  much  use 
though.  Mannering  kept  the  bullet.  He  wanted  to 
retain  it,  so  he  said,  as  a  memento  of  his  adventure.*' 

"  Perfectly  natural,"  I  commented. 

"Perfectly,"  returned  Forrest.  "The  unfortunate 
result  is,  that  his  doing  so  prevents  me  from  dismissing 
the  possibility  of  his  being  the  Pirate  from  my  mind. 
And  I  ought  to  be  doing  something.  Last  night  the 
rascal  seems  to  have  been  everywhere.  Apparently  he 

176 


STORM  177 

was  actuated  with  a  desire  to  destroy  everything  which 
stood  in  his  path.  One  would  judge  him  to  have  become 
absolutely  reckless.  Instead  of  avoiding  the  towns,  he 
courted  observation  by  passing  through  them.  This 
morning  at  the  police  office,  I  heard  particulars  of  at 
least  half  a  dozen  cases  of  unoffending  people  being 
ruthlessly  ridden  down,  and  Heaven  only  knows  how 
many  more  there  may  be  of  which  the  details  are  not 
yet  to  hand.  The  sheer  devilry  of  his  progress  is  simply 
amazing.  What  it  comes  to  is  this,  Sutgrove.  If  I 
can't  get  hold  of  him  within  the  next  week  I  may  as 
well  resign  the  force  at  once.  If  I  don't  resign  I  shall 
be  dismissed,  and  quite  deservedly." 

I  tried  to  say  something  consolatory,  but  he  would 
not  hear  me  ;  and  it  was  not  until  after  he  had  made 
a  savage  attack  upon  the  eggs  and  rashers  and  had 
swallowed  three  cups  of  tea,  that  his  usual  equanimity 
returned. 

"  What's  the  next  move  ? "  I  asked,  when  breakfast 
was  done. 

**  I  am  going  to  town  to  see  if  I  can  identify  the 
purchaser  of  this  bottle,"  he  replied,  holding  up  the  phial 
he  had  taken  from  the  bag  in  Mannering's  house  the 
night  before  j  "  and  to  inquire  whether  anything  more 
has  been  heard  of  the  fair-haired  German." 

"  Then  I  can  be  of  no  assistance  to  you,  to-day  ?  "  I 
said. 

'*  None  whatever  beyond  remaining  here  and  keeping 
an  eye  upon  our  friend.  I  shall  ask  for  another  man 

M 


178  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

to-day  to  assist  in  shadowing  him,  but  until  his  arrival 
I  should  be  glad  for  some  one  to  keep  me  acquainted 
with  his  movements.  If,  as  I  presume  you  will,  you  go 
over  to  Colonel  Maitland's,  you  cannot  help  seeing 
whether  he  leaves  his  house." 

I  promised  to  do  as  he  wished,  and  shortly  after  he 
had  gone,  I  took  my  hat  and  strolled  over  to  the  Colonel's 
place. 

Evie  appeared  to  have  quite  recovered  from  her  fears 
of  the  previous  evening,  and  being  busily  engaged  upon 
domestic  duties,  she  sent  me  to  join  her  father  under  the 
shade  of  a  big  tree  on  the  lawn.  There  solaced  by  an 
iced  lemon  squash  and  the  newspaper,  I  managed  to 
pass  the  morning  very  comfortably.  Mannering  gave 
no  sign  of  existence. 

I  took  myself  home  for  lunch,  remembering  letters 
I  had  to  write.  I  felt  much  easier  in  mind,  and  made 
a  hearty  meal  in  consequence.  The  result  was  that  I 
tell  asleep  over  my  cigar  afterwards. 

I  awoke  suddenly,  wondering  where  I  was.  Then  I 
thought  I  must  have  slept  for  hours,  for  a  blackness  only 
one  degree  less  than  that  of  night  brooded  over  the 
earth.  I  took  out  my  watch  lazily,  and  was  surprised  to 
see  that  the  hands  only  pointed  to  five.  I  sat  still  for 
a  minute  or  two  striving  to  collect  my  thoughts,  for  my 
head  was  heavy.  I  held  my  watch  to  my  ear.  It  had 
not  stopped.  I  jumped  up  and  walked  to  the  window, 
and  I  saw  at  once  the  reason  why  I  had  imagined  that 
night  had  fallen.  From  east  to  west  and  from  north  to 


STORM  179 

south  «  dense  pall  of  cloud  hung  over  the  earth.  Not 
a  leaf  moved,  and  except  for  the  shrill  chirp  of  A  grass- 
hopper, not  a  sound  broke  the  uncanny  stillness. 

**  By  Jove  I "  I  muttered,  "  we  are  going  to  have  it 
hot." 

There  came  upon  me  an  intense  desire  to  be  near 
Evie  during  the  progress  of  the  storm  which  threatened 
every  moment  to  break.  I  did  not  wait  to  analyse  the 
feeling,  but  catching  up  my  hat  I  bolted  straight  out  of 
the  window.  I  had  only  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  to 
traverse,  but  when  I  reached  the  Colonel's  house,  so  hot 
and  heavy  was  the  air,  that  I  was  soaked  from  head  to 
foot  in  perspiration.  I  paused  at  the  gate  to  wipe  my 
brow  with  my  handkerchief,  and  at  the  moment  the 
storm  broke.  I  heard  the  crackle  of  the  lightning  as  it 
slid  from  the  sky,  and  the  thunder  clap  followed  so 
swiftly  that  for  a  moment  I  felt  deafened.  I  waited  no 
longer,  but  raced  across  the  lawn  and  into  the  open 
French  window  of  the  drawing-room.  The  apartment 
was  unoccupied,  so  I  passed  through  into  the  hall.  That 
was  vacant  too,  and  I  continued  my  search  through  the 
morning-room  to  the  Colonel's  sanctum.  There  I  saw 
the  genial  warrior  standing  at  the  window,  and  watching 
the  play  of  the  lightning  with  every  appearance  of  interest. 

«  Hullo,  Colonel ! "  I  said.     «  Where's  Evie  ? " 

"  Isn't  she  in  the  drawing-room  ?  She  was  there 
twenty  minutes  ago,"  he  replied. 

"  She  is  not  there  now,  I  have  just  come  through,"  I 
explained. 


r8o  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

*'  Then  I  fancy  she  will  be  in  all  probability  in  her 
bedroom  with  her  head  under  the  sheets,"  he  said, 
chuckling. 

**  At  all  events  I  will  send  one  of  the  maids  to  see," 
I  said. 

I  rang  the  bell,  and  after  giving  a  message  to  the  maid 
who  answered  the  summons,  I  joined  the  Colonel  at  the 
window.  He  appeared  to  be  very  pleased  with  the  progress 
the  storm  was  making. 

"Thank  goodness  this  will  clear  the  air,"  he  ex- 
plained, as  a  reason  for  his  satisfaction.  "  It  was  so  hot 
that  I  could  take  no  lunch  but  a  mayonnaise,  iced 
strawberries,  and  a  glass  of  hock.  Don't  you  think  the 
air  is  cooler  already  ?  I  begin  to  feel  quite  an  appetite 
for  dinner.  My  only  fear  is  that,  if  the  thunder  has  not 
turned  everything  sour,  it  will  have  frightened  my  cook 
out  of  her  senses,  and  there  will  be  nothing  to  appease 
my  appetite," 

The  window  at  which  we  were  standing  faced 
towards  Manncring's  house.  There  was  a  stretch  of 
lawn  outside  and,  beyond,  a  thicket  of  shrubs  and  small 
trees  between  the  grounds  of  the  two  residences.  I  was 
glancing  in  the  direction  of  these,  when  I  thought  I  saw 
something  white  moving  in  the  shrubbery.  I  was  about 
to  say  something  to  the  Colonel  when  a  crash  of  thunder 
drowned  the  utterance.  At  the  next  flash  of  lightning, 
I  perceived  that  my  eyes  had  not  deceived  me,  and  in  an 
instant  I  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  Evie  who 
was  out  there  in  the  storm.  Without  a  moment's 


STORM  181 

hesitation  I  vaulted  through  the  window  and  raced  across 
the  lawn.  The  Colonel  must  have  thought  me  mad. 

It  was  something  of  a  shock  for  me  to  find  that  I 
was  right  in  my  conjecture.  There,  huddled  up  under 
the  spreading  branches  of  a  cedar,  stood  my  darling,  her 
eyes  wide  open,  her  cheeks  blanched  with  terror. 

"  Why,  Evic,  dear  heart !  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  I 
cried. 

At  the  sound  of  my  voice  she  started,  and,  with  a 
little  cry  of  delight,  she  threw  herself  into  niy  arms. 

"I  knew  you  would  come — I  knew  you  would 
come  !  "  she  sobbed  hysterically. 

The  cedar  under  which  she  was  standing  was  close 
to  the  hedge,  and  I  fancied,  as  she  spoke,  that  I  saw  a 
figure  move  away  from  the  other  side  of  the  hedge.  I 
could  not  verify  my  suspicion,  for  Evie  needed  all  my 
attention.  She  had  fainted.  Catching  her  up,  I  bore 
her  across  the  lawn  to  the  house. 

It  was  some  time  before  she  came  to  herself,  and 
then,  at  her  own  request,  I  left  her  with  her  maid  and 
returned  to  the  Colonel.  Needless  to  say  I  was  very 
much  worried  in  my  mind.  Why  Evie  should  have  been 
sheltering  in  the  shrubbery  from  the  storm,  with  the 
house  so  near,  seemed  unexplainable,  and  I  awaited  with 
anxiety  the  time  when  I  could  learn  the  reason  from  her 
own  lips.  The  presence  of  the  figure — the  figure  of  a 
man — on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hedge,  was  also  inex- 
plicable. I  should  have  guessed  it  to  be  Mannering,  but 
I  would  have  staked  my  life  upon  Evie's  truthfulness 


f82  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

when  she  had  told  me  how  much  she  had  learned  to 
detest  him.  Besides,  her  delight  was  obvious  when  I 
arrived  on  the  scene. 

Not  until  the  evening,  however,  did  I  get  a  chance 
of  speaking  to  Evie  again.  The  Colonel  and  I  dined 
alone,  Evie  sending  word  to  say  that  the  storm  had  left 
her  with  a  headache,  and  that  she  would  join  us  later.  I 
was  so  silent  during  the  meal  that  my  host  grew  quite 
merry  at  my  expense. 

"  Wait  till  you  are  married,  my  boy,"  he  remarked. 
"  There  will  come  times  when  you  will  be  grateful  foi 
these  feminine  headaches." 

I  hate  cheap  witticisms  of  this  sort,  but  I  could  hardly 
resent  them  from  the  Colonel  as  I  could  have  done  had 
they  fallen  from  any  one  else's  lips ;  but  I  fancy  he  saw  at 
last  that  they  were  distasteful  to  me,  for  after  a  while  he 
forebore  to  comment  upon  my  dour  looks. 

About  ten  Evie  came  downstairs.  By  this  time  the 
storm  had  passed  away  entirely,  and  the  air  was  deliciously 
fresh  and  cool  after  the  rain.  It  was  a  strangely  subdued 
girl  who  came  nervously  to  me,  and  shrank  away  from 
me  as  I  kissed  her. 

"  No,  Jim,  no  I     You  mustn't  do  that,"  she  said. 

Colonel  Maitland  had  slipped  away  upon  his  daughter's 
entrance,  and  we  were  alone. 

"  Why,  darling,  what  ails  you  ?  **  I  asked. 

**  Nothing — nothing.  Oh  1  don't  ask  me,**  she  almost 
wailed  in  reply. 

I  put  my  arm  about  her  waist,  and  drew  her  down 


STORM  183 

beside  me  to  a  seat  on  a  big  Chesterfield  drawn  before 
one  of  the  windows.  She  resisted  faintly  at  first,  but 
presently  I  heard  her  give  a  sigh  of  content,  and  felt  her 
nestle  towards  me.  Then  I  spoke. 

**  Tell  me,  dear,  what  possessed  you  to  go  out  into 
the  storm  ? " 

"I  don't  know,"  she  murmured — "I  don't  know. 
I — I  felt  that  I  must.  I  didn't  think  it  was  going  to 
break  so  soon,  and  then  the  first  flash  of  lightning 
and  the  voice  of  the  thunder  I  It  was  like  judgment 
day." 

"  It  is  all  passed  and  over,"  I  remarked,  with  a  man's 
clumsy  attempt  at  consolation. 

**  I  wish  it  were — I  wish  it  were,"  she  repeated,  with 
an  indrawn  sigh. 

**  It  is  all  over  hours  ago,"  I  said. 

She  broke  away  from  me  passionately.  "  Oh  !  Jim, 
you  don't  know,"  she  cried. 

"  I  don't  know  what  ? "  I  inquired,  as  I  attempted  to 
draw  her  to  me  again. 

She  pushed  my  hands  away  with  a  gesture  of  despair. 
Then  with  an  effort  she  rose  to  her  feet,  and  looking  at 
me  straight  in  the  face,  she  said — 

"  Jim,  this  must  not  go  on.  It  is  more  than  I  can 
bear." 

I  rose  to  my  feet  too,  my  heart  beating  wildly.  **  I 
don't  understand  you,"  I  answered,  though  I  compre- 
hended her  meaning  only  too  well.  "What  must  not 
go  on  ?  " 


1 84  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

"  Our — our  engagement,"  she  faltered.  She  wa< 
white  to  the  lips  as  she  said  the  words. 

I  staggered  back  under  the  blow,  then  leaning  forward 
I  sought  to  take  her  hand. 

"  No,  Jim,  no  ! "  she  said.  u  It's  no  use  ;  I  can  never 
be  yours.  It  is  impossible — quite  impossible.  My  love 
would  be  fatal  to  you  I  I  know  it  will  1  He  said  so.'* 

"  He  ?  "  I  asked. 

She  faltered.  "  Oh  !  I  cannot  help  believing  him. 
He  tells  me  that  I  am  to  be  his."  She  shuddered.  "  Jim, 
you  must  leave  me,  and  never  see  me  again.  I  cannot 
have  your — your  blood  on  my  hands." 

She  held  out  her  slender  white  fingers,  and  I  saw  that 
the  ring  which  I  had  placed  there  had  been  removed. 
Though  my  brain  was  awhirl,  I  tried  my  utmost  to  be 
calm.  I  think  the  effort  was  successful,  and  that  my 
voice  was  fairly  even  when  I  said — 

"  Come,  darling,  a  promise  is  a  promise,  and  my  own 
little  girl  is  not  going  to  break  her  promise  because  of  the 
threats  of  a  jealous  rival." 

She  shuddered  from  head  to  foot.  "  You  don't  know 
him  as  I  know  him,"  she  murmured.  "  He  would  stick 
at  nothing,  Jim.  I  don't  think  he  is  a  man  ;  he  must  be 
a  devil.  He  can  do  things  no  man  ever  thought  of 
doing." 

"  You  exaggerate  his  capacities  for  evil,"  I  said,  as 
equably  as  I  was  able,  for  her  agitation  was  so  great  that 
I  feared  for  her  reason.  "  What  has  Mannering  been 
saying  to  you,  for  it  was  he  whom  I  saw  behind  the 


STORM  185 

hedge    when    I    brought    you    out    of    the    storm,    I 

suppose  ? " 

**  You  saw  him  ? "  she  queried.  u  Then  it  is  true. 
I  have  been  hoping  you  would  tell  me  I  had  been  dream- 
ing again." 

**  I  saw  nothing  very  terrible  about  him,"  I  remarked. 

**  You  don't  know  him,"  she  said  again. 

"  He  will  have  cause  to  know  me  before  many  hours 
have  passed,"  I  declared  savagely. 

She  clung  to  me  in  terror.  "  No,  Jim.  You  must 
not  go  near  him.  You  do  not  know  the  power  he 
exercises.  This  afternoon  I  was  sitting  thinking  of  you 
when  I  became  conscious  that  he  was  telling  me  to  come 
to  him.  There  was  no  reason  why  I  should  have  thought 
so.  He  was  not  in  sight,  but  I  was  bound  to  go." 

"  And  you  found  him  waiting  for  you  ? "  I  asked 
quietly,  though  my  brain  was  aflame,  for  I  was  deter- 
mined to  ascertain  all  that  had  passed  between  them. 

"  He  was  waiting  for  me,"  she  repeated — "  waiting 
for  me  and  the  storm.  That  must  have  come  at  his 
bidding  too.  It  was  horrible  waiting  for  him  to  speak — 
horrible  !  I  tried  to  ask  him  what  he  wanted,  but  my 
tongue  was  tied.  Not  until  after  the  first  peal  of  thunder 
did  he  utter  a  word.  Then  he  told  me  the  time  was 
nearly  at  hand  when  he  should  come  for  me."  I  clenched 
my  fists  involuntarily,  but  I  did  not  interrupt  my  darling's, 
story.  **  I  begged  of  him  to  leave  me  free.  He  paid  no 
heed.  *  I  am  going  away,'  he  said.  *  For  three  days 
you  will  see  nothing  of  me,  though  all  England  will  be 


1 86  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

talking  of  my  deeds.  On  the  third  I  shall  return.  Mind 
you  are  ready.' " 

u  Did  you  not  mention  me  ? "  I  remarked  weakly.  I 
hardly  knew  what  to  say,  for  it  seemed  to  me  that  either 
Evie  must  be  the  victim  of  some  extraordinary  hallucina- 
tion, or  else  that  Mannering  was  mad. 

"  He  mentioned  you,"  she  replied.  **  *  Tell  Sutgrove,' 
he  said,  *  that  he  has  three  days  in  which  to  capture  the 
Motor  Pirate  and  make  sure  of  his  bride.  After  that  he 
will  be  too  late.  Tell  him,  too,  that  death  waits  on  the 
fool  who  fails/  " 

"  It's  a  sporting  challenge,"  I  muttered,  for  I  had  no 
doubt  now  in  my  mind  that  Mannering  and  the  Pirate 
were  identical. 

My  words  did  not  reach  Evic's  ear,  for  she  continued, 

"  Now  you  know  why  I  have  put  away  your  ring. 
He  is  too  strong  for  us.  I  must  do  as  he  bids  me. 

T »» 

I  interrupted  her  sharply.  "  Have  you  everything 
packed  to  go  away  on  your  visit  to  Norfolk  to-morrow  ? " 
I  asked. 

The  tone  of  my  voice  roused  her.  She  looked  at  me 
wildly. 

"  Why — why w  she  said.  Then  the  expression 

faded  out  of  her  face.  For  the  second  time  that  day  she 
had  fainted. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

IM   WHICH  THB   PIRATE   APPEARS   IN    A    FROLICSOME 
HUMOUR 

THE  feinting  fit  which  terminated  my  conversation  with 
Evic  alarmed  me  tremendously,  and  as  soon  as  I  could 
summon  assistance  I  sent  for  a  doctor.  She  came  round 
before  the  medical  man  arrived,  but  I  did  not  revert  to 
the  topic  which  had  agitated  her.  Indeed,  she  appeared 
listless  and  disinclined  to  say  a  word  on  any  subject. 
Colonel  Maitland  was  less  worried  than  myself,  but  even 
he  was  anxious  until  after  the  doctor  had  seen  her  and 
assured  him  that  his  daughter  was  merely  suffering  from 
over  excitement,  and  that  a  sedative  and  a  good  night's 
rest  would  probably  restore  her  completely. 

I  was  not  so  sure  that  such  would  be  the  case,  and 
when  she  had  retired  I  thought  it  well  to  take  the 
Colonel  into  his  study  and  give  him  as  full  an  account  as 
I  could  of  all  that  had  led  up  to  the  fainting  fit  He 
listened  to  my  story  with  attention,  and  when  I  had 
done,  though  I  could  plainly  see  that  he  thought  his 
daughter's  fears  were  due  to  her  own  morbid  fancy,  yet 
he  agreed  with  me  that  it  would  be  well  that  she  should 
have  a  change  of  scene  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 

•*7 


1 88  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

After  arriving  at  this  decision  I  determined  to  at  once 
seek  out  Mannering,  and  demand  from  him  some  ex- 
planation of  his  conduct,  for  I  could  not  conceive  that 
Evie's  story  was  entirely  the  outcome  of  her  imagination. 
It  was  a  delicate  subject  to  discuss,  yet  I  did  not  hesitate. 
I  was  in  no  humour  to  mince  matters.  My  anger, 
though  I  had  kept  it  well  under  control  hitherto,  only 
needed  the  slightest  fanning  to  bring  it  to  a  white  heat, 
and  I  longed  whole-heartedly  that  Mannering  would 
afford  me  some  excuse  for  giving  physical  expression  to 
my  feelings. 

I  walked  up  to  his  front  door,  and  knocked  in  a 
manner  to  denote  with  sufficient  distinctiveness  that  the 
mood  of  the  knocker  was  the  imperative.  I  could  see  by 
the  lights  within  that  the  inmates  of  the  house  had  not 
retired  to  rest,  but  I  had  to  repeat  my  summons  before 
there  was  any  response.  Then  I  heard  footsteps  within, 
and  the  door  opening  an  inch  or  two,  a  voice  inquired 
who  was  there. 

"  Is  Mr.  Mannering  in  ? "  I  demanded. 

"  Mr.  Sutgrove,  is  it  ? "  replied  the  voice,  and  upon 
my  answering  in  the  affirmative,  the  door  was  thrown 
open,  and  I  saw  the  two  maidservants  standing  in  the 
hall. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  said  the  parlourmaid. 
"  We  didn't  expect  any  one  at  this  time  of  night." 

"That's  all  right,"  I  answered.  "Can  I  see  Mr. 
Mannering  ? " 

"  He's  gone  away  for  a  day  or  two,  sir,"  said  the  girl. 


PIRATE   APPEARS   FROLICSOME     i&s 

"  That's  very  sudden,  isn't  it  ? "  I  asked  "  I  ww  him 
this  afternoon." 

"  Yes,  sir.  He  said  nothing  about  it  to  us  until  after 
dinner.  Then  he  packed  his  handbag  and  went  away  on 
his  motor." 

**  It's  a  confounded  nuisance,"  I  remarked.  a  I  wanted 
to  see  him  on  important  business.  Did  he  say  where  he 
was  going  ? " 

"He  said  Cromer,  sir,  but  he  did  not  leave  any 
address.  Then,  after  a  momentary  hesitation,  she  added, 
u  Is — is  anything  wrong  ? " 

I  looked  at  her  keenly.  She  dropped  her  eyes,  and 
I  could  see  there  was  something  on  her  mind, 

"  What  makes  you  ask  ?  "  I  enquired. 

"I — I  don't  know,"  she  replied,  with  obvious  em- 
barrassment. 

**  There  must  be  something  or  you  would  not  have 
asked,"  I  said  encouragingly.  "  Come — out  with  it." 

She  still  hesitated,  but  the  housemaid  was  bolder. 
"I'll  tell  the  gentleman  if  you  don't,  Sarah,"  she  declared. 
"  It's  like  this,  sir,"  she  rattled  out  volubly  :  "  the  master, 
Mr.  Mannering  that  is,  has  been  so  queer  in  his  ways 
lately  that  Sarah  and  me  'as  been  quite  scared.  Not  that 
he  'asn't  been  quite  the  gentleman.  He  always  was  that, 
wasn't  he,  Sarah  ?  But  he's  been  that  restless  and  bound 
up  in  himself  lately — walking  up  and  down  in  bis  room 
and  talking  to  himself.  He  always  was  one  to  shut 
himself  up  in  that  nasty  old  coach-house  with  his 
experiments  and  things,  but  he  was  quiet,  and  w* 


190  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

never  took  no  account  of  it.  But  lately  he's  been 
difemnt" 

«  How  f  I  asked. 

M  Weil,  instead  of  going  to  bed  like  a  Christian  he's 
up  all  hours  of  the  night.  It  ain't  only  that.  He  slips 
out  as  if  he  didn't  want  us  to  see  him,  and  when  we've 
known  he  hasn't  been  at  home  we've  found  he's  taken 
the  trouble  to  tumble  the  bed  to  make  it  appear  as  how 
he  slept  in  it.* 

"Pooh!"  I  remarked.  "If  that's  all,  my  servants 
would  probably  say  the  same  about  me.  You  need  not 
be  alarmed  about  such  trifles." 

"But  it's  not  all,"  said  Sarah,  taking  up  the  story. 
"  The  nights  he  goes  out  are  just  the  nights  the  Pirate 
makes  his  appearance." 

*  Those  are  just  the  nights  I  am  away  from  home," 
I  said. 

"But  you  have  the  detective  gentleman  with  you," 
argued  the  girl,  "and  when  you  come  back  I  warrant 
you  do  not  bring  diamond  studs  back  with  you  that  don't 
belong  to  you." 

"What  I"  I  cried.     "What  I* 

"It's  truth,  sir,"  said  the  housemaid.  "A  week  ago, 
just  after  he  came  back  from  Paris,  I  was  sweeping  the 
floor  of  his  bedroom,  when  I  sweeps  up  a  diamond  stud. 
Now,  I  knew  he  never  had  such  a  thing " 

"  I  suppose  you  know  exactly  what  jewellery  he  has  ?  w 
I  interrupted,  laughing. 

"  He  always  was  a  very  careless  gentleman  until  the 


PIRATE  APPEARS    FROLICSOME     191 

last  month,  before  which  he  left  his  things  lying  about 
all  over  the  place,  but  then  he  had  a  safe  put  in  his 
bedroom,  and  he  never  so  much  as  left  the  key  lying 
about.  However,  I  mentions  the  stud  to  Sarah,  and  we 
talks  it  over  and  puts  two  and  two  together,  and  Sarah 
thinks  that  if  he  doesn't  ask  what  has  become  of  it,  it 
might  be  as  well  as  if  we  told  the  detective  gentleman 
about  it." 

"Quite  right,"  I  remarked.  "You  might  let  me 
look  at  the  stud,  though." 

After  a  little  pressing  the  girls  fetched  the  trinket,  and 
I  perceived  that  it  very  closely  resembled  the  stud  Winter 
had  worn  on  the  night  of  our  first  encounter  with  the 
Pirate.  I  said  nothing  about  this  supposition  to  the 
maids,  but  bidding  them  to  be  careful  not  to  mention 
the  matter  to  any  one  until  they  had  seen  Forrest,  whom 
I  promised  should  call  upon  them,  I  left  the  house. 

Though  disappointed  in  my  original  intention  of 
forcing  an  explanation  from  Mannering,  I  was  by  no 
means  ill  pleased  with  the  result  of  my  visit  to  his  house. 
My  suspicions  as  to  his  identity  with  the  Pirate  had 
become  considerably  stronger,  and  once  that  identity  was 
established  I  fancied  I  should  have  little  difficulty  in 
preventing  any  further  annoyance  at  his  hands. 

Yet  when  I  came  to  think  calmly  upon  the  subject  I 
could  not  fail  to  see  how  frail  was  the  foundation  upon 
which  my  suspicions  were  built  up.  The  fancies  of  a 
girl,  the  suspicions  of  a  couple  of  gossiping  servants, 
and  the  discovery  of  a  stud,  which  might  or  might  not 


192  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

prove  to  be  the  one  which  had  been  stolen  from  Winter. 
I  longed  for  Forrest  to  return,  for  I  felt  utterly  incapable 
of  resting,  and  as  he  had  not  put  in  an  appearance  by 
midnight,  I  got  out  my  car  and  went  into  St.  Albans  to 
meet  him.  At  the  police  station  there  was  no  news  of 
him  to  be  obtained,  but  I  did  learn  that  the  Pirate  had 
been  seen,  his  presence  having  been  reported  from  the 
ricinity  of  Bedford. 

Knowing  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  sleep 
until  I  had  seen  Forrest ;  knowing,  too,  how  unlikely  it 
was  that  he  would  now  return  to  St.  Albans  before  morn- 
ing, I  thought  I  might  at  least  have  one  shot  on  my  own 
account  of  bringing  off  the  capture  I  so  ardently  desired. 
So,  in  case  of  an  untoward  accident  happening,  I  scribbled 
a  note  to  the  detective,  telling  him  briefly  what  I  had 
heard  from  the  servants,  and  my  intentions j  and  making 
sure  that  my  revolver  was  in  working  order,  I  bade  my 
friends  at  the  police-station  good  night,  and  departed. 

I  knew  it  would  be  useless  to  take  the  direct  road  to 
Bedford  if  I  wished  to  meet  the  Pirate,  and,  as  he  had 
been  reported  going  east,  I  took  the  route  through  Hert- 
ford, trusting  that  I  might  be  able  to  cut  him  off  upon 
his  return.  I  gleaned  nothing  concerning  him  at  either 
Hertford  or  Ware,  and  was  so  doubtful  of  proceeding 
further  in  that  direction  that  I  left  it  to  the  arbitrament 
of  a  coin  to  determine  whether  I  should  go  on  by  a  road 
with  which  I  was  unacquainted  to  Cambridge  through 
Bishop's  Stortford,  or  take  a  route  I  knew  through  Royston. 
The  choice  fell  upon  the  Stortford  road,  and  later  I 


PIRATE   APPEARS    FROLICSOME     193 

glad  I  had  taken  it,  for  about  a  mile  to  the  south  of  Stort- 
ford  I  discovered  that  I  was  upon  the  right  track. 

I  was  bowling  along  at  about  fifteen  miles  an  hour 
when  I  came  upon  two  horses  grazing  at  the  road-side. 
They  galloped  off  at  my  approach,  and,  a  few  seconds 
later,  I  came  upon  a  specimen  of  the  Pirate's  handiwork, 
which  at  first  sight  was  irresistibly  ludicrous.  A  brougham 
was  drawn  up  at  the  side  of  the  road,  and,  bound  to  the 
wheels,  were  a  coachman  and  a  footman,  clad  in  gorgeous 
liveries.  The  coachman  was  fat  and  florid,  the  footman 
a  particularly  fine  specimen  of  flunkeydom,  and  their  faces, 
as  the  light  of  my  lamps  fell  upon  them — they  could  not 
speak,  for  they  were  both  gagged  as  well  as  bound — were 
so  convulsed  with  terror,  that  I  could  see  they  did  not 
look  upon  me  as  a  friend.  As  I  dismounted  from  my  car 
to  go  to  their  assistance,  I  heard  a  dismal  wail  from  the 
roof  of  the  vehicle  and,  looking  up,  I  perceived  a  portly 
old  lady  perched  upon  the  uncomfortable  eminence. 

I  made  an  attempt  to  explain  that  my  intentions  went 
purely  pacific,  but  as  I  could  elicit  nothing  from  the  old 
lady  but  appeals  to  spare  her  life,  I  turned  my  attention 
to  the  two  men,  and  speedily  released  them  from  their 
bonds.  By  the  time  they  were  loose  they  had  realized 
that  I  was  a  friend ;  but  it  was  some  time  before  I 
managed  to  obtain  from  them  an  account  of  how  they 
got  into  such  a  mess.  Even  when  their  powers  of  speech 
had  returned  they  were  unable  to  give  a  lucid  account 
of  the  affair. 

Of  course  it  wms  the  work  of  the  Pirate.     They  had 


194  THE   MOTOR  PIR/TE 

been  returning  with  their  mistress — the  old  lady  on  the 
roof  of  the  brougham — from  some  local  coming-of-age 
festivities,  when  they  had  met  the  rascal.  He  had  bound 
the  servants,  set  the  horses  free,  and,  after  robbing  the 
old  lady  of  all  the  jewellery  she  wore,  he  had  compelled 
her  to  climb  to  the  position  where  I  discovered  her, 
threatening  to  return  and  kill  her  if  she  moved  from  her 
position  for  an  hour.  It  needed  much  persuasion  before 
she  ventured  to  descend  from  her  perch  ;  but  with  the 
assistance  of  the  coachman,  I  managed  to  get  her  inside 
the  brougham,  and  further  assisting  in  securing  the  two 
horses,  I  left  them. 

This  incident  delayed  me  for  nearly  half  an  hour,  and 
it  was  a  good  deal  past  one  before  I  again  set  out  on  my 
quest.  The  brougham  had  been  stopped  just  near  a  bye- 
road,  and  as  the  footman  had  assured  me  that  the  Pirate 
had  taken  this  path  when  he  departed,  I  thought  I  would 
follow.  I  could  see  for  myself  that  a  motor-car  had 
passed  that  way,  for  the  thunderstorm  of  the  previous  day 
had  left  the  roads  heavy  in  places,  and  the  marks  of  his 
tyres  were  plainly  visible. 

I  had  followed  the  road  for  about  a  couple  of  miles 
further  when  I  came  once  more  upon  some  of  the 
Pirate's  victims.  These,  too,  were  returning  from  the 
same  function  at  which  the  old  lady  had  been  a  guest, 
when  they  fell  into  the  clutches  of  the  Pirate.  In  thii 
case  my  assistance  was  not  required,  for  the  two  young 
ladies  of  the  party  had  recovered  sufficiently  from  their 
fright  to  have  already  set  at  liberty  their  male  companion 


PIRATE   APPEARS   FROLICSOME     195 

and  the  coachman.  They  told  me  of  their  experiences, 
and  after  I  had  heard  them,  I  thought  that  Forrest'*  idea 
that  the  Pirate  was  a  madman  more  likely  than  I  had 
done  previously. 

When  stopped  by  the  Pirate,  the  husband  of  one  of 
the  ladies  had  shown  fight  until  he  had  been  felled  by 
a  blow  from  the  butt  end  of  a  revolver.  The  coachman 
had  discreetly  made  no  resistance.  Then,  after  securing 
the  jewels  the  women  wore,  the  Pirate  had  displayed  a 
freakish  humour  quite  new  to  his  character.  He  had 
insisted  upon  the  two  women  dancing  for  his  amusement 
in  the  road,  threatening  to  shoot  the  husband  if  they  did 
not  comply  with  his  request.  They  assured  me  that  he 
had  sat  chuckling  with  laughter,  and  urging  them  on 
with  all  sorts  of  wild  threats,  until  they  fell  from  ex- 
haustion. They  were  splashed  with  mud  from  head  to 
foot,  and  their  dainty  frocks  presented  a  sorry  sight.  In 
addition  they  told  me  that  they  could  barely  stand,  for 
their  feet  were  cut  to  pieces,  since,  at  the  first  steps  of 
the  weird  dance,  their  slippers  had  stuck  in  the  mud,  and 
they  were  given  no  opportunity  to  stop  and  recover  them. 

I  did  not  wait  to  hear  more  than  the  barest  outline 
of  the  story,  for  I  learned  that  he  had  left  them  not  more 
than  ten  minutes  before  my  arrival  on  the  scene,  and 
with  the  heavy  roads,  I  thought  there  was  at  least  a 
chance  of  some  lucky  accident  bringing  me  face  to  fact 
with  my  quarry. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

A    HOT  SCENT 

I  RAN  on  through  the  night,  but  I  could  not  make  any 
great  progress.  I  was  now  involved  in  a  maze  of  Essex 
bye-roads,  totally  unknown  to  me,  and  every  few  minutes 
I  was  compelled  to  dismount,  and  search  for  the  tracks. 
I  never  lost  them,  however,  until  I  came  once  more  to 
a  high-road.  The  curve  of  the  tyre  marks  at  the  junction 
of  the  road  gave  me  the  direction  I  needed,  and,  letting 
my  car  go,  in  four  or  five  minutes  I  found  myself  running 
into  the  electric-lighted  streets  of  a  town.  The  place 
was  deserted,  but  eventually  I  found  a  policeman,  and 
of  him  I  inquired  whether  anything  had  been  seen  or 
heard  of  the  Pirate.  There  was  no  need  for  me  to 
describe  the  appearance  of  the  pirate  car.  It  was  as 
well-known  throughout  the  land,  as  the  Lord  Mayor's 
coach,  but  he  had  seen  nothing  of  it,  and  was  quite 
positive  that  it  had  not  passed  through  the  town.  An 
ordinary  car  had  passed  about  half  an  hour  before  my 
arrival,  and  though  the  constable's  description  of  the  car 
was  not  very  lucid,  it  was  sufficiently  near  the  mark  to 
make  me  think  of  Mannering. 

196 


A   HOT   SCENT  197 

"  I  fency  the  man  you  describe  is  a  friend  of  mine," 
I  said.  "  Which  direction  did  he  take  ?  " 

"  He  went  straight  along  the  Colchester  road,"  was 
the  astonishing  reply. 

"  The  Colchester  road  ?  "  I  inquired.  **  What  town 
is  this,  then  ? " 

"This  is  Chelmsford,  sir,"  he  answered,  with  a 
surprise  equalling  my  own. 

I  could  see  my  unguarded  question  had  awakened 
his  suspicions  of  me,  so  I  made  haste  to  remark  that 
I  had  not  realized  how  quickly  I  had  travelled,  adding 
that  I  might  have  known  there  was  no  other  town  of 
the  size  thereabouts. 

"I  am  afraid,"  I  added,  "that  if  you  had  met  me 
outside  the  borough  you  would  have  had  a  case  for  the 
Bench  in  the  morning." 

"  I  don't  take  no  heed  of  speed  myself,  sir,  when  the 
roads  is  clear,"  he  remarked  j  "  but  when  the  traffic's 
thick,  it's  another  matter." 

I  thought  his  sound  common  sense  deserved  a  reward. 
Anyway  it  got  one,  and  with  a  cheerful  good  night, 
I  set  my  car  going  at  a  pace  which  made  me  hope 
that  any  other  constable  I  chanced  to  meet  would 
prove  as  intelligent  as  he  from  whom  I  had  just 
parted.  It  is  about  twenty-two  miles  from  Chelmsford 
to  Colchester,  and,  in  spite  of  the  greasy  state  of 
parts  of  the  road,  I  managed  the  distance  in  thirty 
minutes. 

Every  one  of  those  minutes  I  expected  to  be  able 


1 98  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

to  overtake  Mannering ;  but  I  saw  nothing  of  him,  and 
by  the  time  I  came  to  Colchester,  I  began  to  fancy  that 
he  must  have  given  me  the  slip  at  some  bye-road.  From 
my  inquiries  at  Colchester,  I  learned,  however,  that  I 
was  still  on  the  right  scent ;  but  I  was  mightily  puzzled 
to  discover  that  though  he  was  driving  the  old  car  which 
he  had  always  declared  was  unable  to  compass  more  than 
twelve  or  fourteen  miles  an  hour,  he  was  still  half  an 
hour  ahead  of  me. 

He  was  still  going  away  from  town,  and  I  followed. 
There  is  no  need  for  me  to  give  in  any  detail  particulars 
of  my  journey  that  night.  Day  was  breaking  when 
I  came  into  Ipswich,  and  it  was  broad  daylight  when 
I  passed  through  the  long,  untidy  street  of  Wickham 
Market.  Mannering  still  kept  ahead,  and  I  followed 
doggedly.  I  heard  of  him  at  Saxmundham,  but  when 
I  inquired  at  Blythburgh,  I  found  I  had  missed  him,  and 
I  had  to  hark  back  to  Yoxford  before  I  got  on  his  track 
again.  He  had  taken  the  side  route  to  Halesworth, 
through  which  he  had  passed  in  the  direction  of  Beccles. 
By  this  time  he  was  an  hour  ahead  of  me,  and,  as  he 
had  left  Beccles  by  the  Yarmouth  road,  I  went  ahead 
as  fast  as  I  dared.  It  was  not  quite  my  highest  speed, 
for  by  this  time  I  was  both  tired  and  hungry,  and  th« 
strain  of  travelling  over  unknown  roads  at  a  high  speed 
at  night  made  my  head  swim.  I  knew  that  unless  I 
could  soon  get  food  and  rest  I  should  soon  be  fit  for 
nothing.  So  immediately  I  reached  Yarmouth,  I  went 
to  a  hotel,  ordered  breakfast,  indulged  in  a  hot  bath  while 


A  HOT  SCENT  199 

it  was  preparing,  and  went  to  sleep  in  017  chair  directly 
I  had  eaten  the  meal. 

The  waiter  awakened  me  about  ten.  I  went  down 
to  the  beach  and  indulged  in  a  swim,  and,  returning 
to  the  hotel,  amazed  the  waiter  by  ordering  and  doing 
justice  to  a  second  breakfast  before  taking  my  departure. 

On  leaving  the  hotel,  my  first  consideration  was  to 
get  my  tank  refilled,  and,  that  done,  I  sent  off  a  couple 
of  wires,  one  to  Evie  and  the  other  addressed  to  Forrest, 
at  my  own  place,  telling  each  of  them  to  communicate 
with  me  at  Sutgrove  Hall  if  anything  happened,  for  it 
was  my  intention  to  call  at  my  home  if  I  could  possibly 
manage  to  do  so. 

My  next  business  was  to  search  for  traces  of  Manner- 
ing  in  Yarmouth,  but  it  was  some  time  before  I  ascertained 
that  the  man  I  imagined  to  be  he,  had  left  by  the  coast 
road  through  Caister.  It  was  a  tedious  job  to  track  him 
through  the  Norfolk  lanes,  for  he  had  turned  and  doubled 
as  if  anxious  to  throw  a  pursuer  off  the  scent,  and  it  was 
one  o'clock  before  I  eventually  struck  the  high-road 
between  Norwich  and  Cromer.  There  I  finally  lost 
him,  owing  chiefly  to  the  fact  that  the  day  was  fine,  and 
a  large  number  of  motor-cars  were  on  the  road  in  con- 
sequence. 

By  this  time  I  was  beginning  to  think  my  impulsive 
action  to  be  more  than  a  little  foolish,  but  in  order  that 
my  journey  should  not  be  altogether  wasted,  I  determined 
to  run  on  to  Cromer,  lunch  there,  and  afterwafds  proceed 
to  Sheringham,  near  which  delightful  village  my  horn* 


200  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

was  situated,  and  seize  the  opportunity  to  make  arrange- 
ments with  my  aunt  for  Evie's  visit. 

In  pursuance  of  this  plan,  in  half  an  hour's  time, 
I  walked  into  the  dining-room  of  the  Royal  Hotel  at 
Cromer.  You  may  judge  of  my  surprise  when  I  saw 
Mannering  seated  at  a  table  at  one  of  the  windows.  He 
observed  my  entrance,  and,  rising,  greeted  me  heartily. 

**  Hullo,  Sutgrove  ! "  he  said.  "  This  is  indeed  a 
welcome  surprise.  I  had  not  the  slightest  idea  you  were 
in  this  part  of  the  country." 

u  If  you  had,  I  presume  you  would  not  have  chosen 
it  for  the  scene  of  your  exploits,"  I  replied. 

The  expression  of  astonishment  which  spread  over 
his  features  at  my  rejoinder  was  so  perfect  that  I  felt 
all  my  suspicions  begin  to  crumble  away. 

"  I  don't  follow  you,"  he  remarked. 

His  manner  was  either  the  result  of  one  of  the  best 
pieces  of  acting  I  had  ever  seen  in  my  life,  or  due  to 
absolute  unconsciousness  of  my  meaning.  It  made  me 
remember  that  though  there  were  undoubtedly  suspicious 
circumstances  connecting  him  with  the  Motor  Pirate, 
yet  so  far  there  was  not  one  iota  of  direct  evidence.  I 
thought  it  best  to  temporize. 

"  Oh,"  I  remarked  ;  "  I  was  only  referring  to  your 
attempts  to  cut  the  records  with  your  old  car." 

He  smiled  calmly  before  replying.  "You  may  be 
nearer  the  truth  than  you  think.  I've  had  a  new  motor 
fixed  in  the  car — an  idea  of  my  own,  and  I  find  she 
travels  at  quite  a  decent  pace.  That's  why  I  left  home 


A  HOT  SCENT  aoi 

last  night  After  the  rain  I  thought  the  roads  would 
certainly  be  clear  enough  to  give  me  the  opportunity  of 
making  a  fair  test.  The  engine  is  a  model  of  the  one 
I  have  designed  for  the  new  car  which  I  mentioned — 
last  night  was  it  ?  No  ;  the  night  before." 

I  was  fairly  staggered  at  his  assurance.  His  demeanour 
was  entirely  without  the  suggestion  of  his  being  in  any 
way  aware  that  he  was  an  object  of  suspicion. 

"  Were  you  not  afraid  of  meeting  the  Pirate  ?  I 
heard  he  was  abroad  last  night,"  I  said. 

"  Afraid  ! **  he  remarked  witheringly.  a  Afraid  ! 
All  I  am  afraid  of  is,  that  some  of  your  Scotland  Yard 
friends  will  be  beforehand  with  me  in  his  capture,  and 
that  is  an  adventure  which  has  a  particular  appeal  to  me, 
since  he  left  his  mark  upon  me  here.'*  He  tapped  his 
shoulder  significantly.  "I  have  promised  myself  to 
repay  this  injury  with  interest.*' 

"  Well,  I  suppose  we  are  as  likely  to  meet  him  here 
as  anywhere,"  I  ventured  to  remark. 

**  I  hope  so,"  he  answered.  "  But  I  am  not  stop- 
ping here  for  long.  I've  taken  a  bed  for  the  night, 
because  I  feel  confoundedly  tired  after  last  night's 
run.  But  what  brings  you  down  here  ?  Are  you 
motoring  ?  *' 

"In  the  first  place  I  wanted  a  word  with  you,"  1 
replied. 

'*  With  me  ? "  The  amazement  in  his  voice  was 
obvious. 

*  Yes,"  I  said  ;  **  that  is  my  principal  object," 


aoa  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

"But  how  did  you  discover  my  address?  I  left  no 
word  with  anjr  one." 

"I'll  tell  you  later,"  I  .aid. 

"  Well,  we  have  plenty  of  time  to  talk,"  he  replied. 
"  If  there's  any  little  difficulty  in  which  I  can  be  of  any 
assistance,  I  need  hardly  assure  you  I  am  at  your  service. 
But  hadn't  you  better  have  lunch  first  ? "  He  lowered 
the  tone  of  his  voice.  "  Unless  you  wish  the  waiters  to 
become  acquainted  with  your  affairs,  I  should  think  what 
you  have  to  say  could  be  much  better  said  outside. 
Neither  pier  nor  esplanade  are  much  frequented  at  this 
time  of  the  year." 

The  suggestion  was  so  natural  and  reasonable  that, 
after  a  moment's  consideration,  I  decided  to  accept  it. 

All  through  the  meal  he  chatted  as  easily  as  if 
there  was  not  the  slightest  possibility  of  anything  hap- 
pening to  interrupt  the  friendship  which  had  always 
ostensibly  existed  between  us.  The  longer  we  talked, 
the  more  puzzled  I  became.  His  manners  were  so 
natural,  so  fearless,  that  it  was  quite  impossible  for  me 
to  believe  that  I  was  sitting  at  lunch  with  the  Motor 
Pirate.  He  was  very  curious  to  know  how  I  had  learned 
of  his  intention  to  come  to  Cromer,  and  I  was  induced 
to  tell  him  of  my  experiences  on  the  previous  night.  I 
watched  his  face  keenly  while  I  narrated  the  stories  of 
the  Pirate's  victims.  He  listened  quite  gravely,  not 
even  the  ghost  of  a  smile  crossing  his  face  when  I  told 
him  of  the  ludicrous  pictures  presented  by  the  old  ladj 
and  her  two  servants. 


A  HOT  SCENT  103 

"It  It  no  laughing  matter,"  he  observed.  "The 
rascal  was  bad  enough  when  he  confined  his  attentions 
to  men ;  but  now  he  has  taken  to  bestowing  them  upon 
women,  he  deserves  no  mercy,  and  when  I  am  able  to 
get  upon  his  track,  he  will  get  none.*' 

"  Then  you  are  really  hoping  to  join  in  the  hunt  ?  " 
I  asked. 

**  Yes,"  he  said.  *  1*11  let  you  into  my  secret.  At 
my  place  at  St  Stephens,  I  had  a  car  which  only  wanted 
one  minor  detail  to  make  it  complete.  I  have  known 
for  months,  that  if  I  could  supply  that  detail,  I  should 
be  in  possession  of  a  car  which  would  outpace  even  the 
Pirate's.  For  months  I've  racked  my  brains  over  it.  A 
week  ago  an  idea  occurred  to  me.  I  worked  it  out.  I 
tried  it  for  the  first  time  last  night.  It  has  proved  to 
be  a  success.  The  day  after  to-morrow  I  shall  join  in 
the  pursuit  of  the  Motor  Pirate,  so  if  your  Scotland  Yard 
friend  does  not  make  haste,  he  will  be  too  late.'* 

"  What  power  do  you  propose  to  use  ?  **  I  asked. 
"Petrol?** 

He  laughed  before  replying.  "A  month  ago  I 
would  have  told  nobody  j  but  to-day  there  is  no  need  of 
secrecy ;  my  drawings  are  all  ready  for  deposit  at  the 
Patent  Office,  so  there  is  no  chance  of  any  one  fore- 
stalling me." 

"  Well,  what  is  it  ?  **  I  said. 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  tell  anybody  else  just  yet,"  he 
said ;  and  as  I  nodded  my  acquiescence,  he  continued, 
"  My  new  motor  is  on  an  entirely  novel  principle.  It 


204  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

is  a  turbine  engine,  worked  by  the  expansion  of  liquid 
hydrogen." 

"  What  ?  "  I  gasped.  The  idea  was  so  novel  that  I 
could  not  grasp  it.  He  lifted  his  hand,  checking  the 
questions  which  started  to  my  lips. 

"  No.  No  questions,  if  you  please  :  because,  if  you 
ask  any,  I  shall  not  answer  them.  Meanwhile,  you 
have  not  yet  told  me  how  you  learned  of  my  presence 
here?" 

I  related  how,  in  the  course  of  my  inquiries  at 
Chelmsford,  I  had  ascertained  that  a  person  so  like 
himself  had  passed  through  the  town,  that  I  had  deter- 
mined to  attempt  to  overtake  him,  little  thinking  the 
chase  would  prove  so  stern. 

He  chaffingly  congratulated  me  on  my  tracking 
powers,  and  expressed  regret  that  I  had  not  made  my 
appearance  earlier,  so  that  we  might  have  arranged  a 
race ;  and  by  the  time  we  had  finished  lunch,  I  was  as 
completely  convinced  as  I  had  ever  been  of  anything  in 
my  life,  that  he  had  no  connection  whatsoever  with  the 
Pirate.  Still,  I  was  none  the  less  determined  to  tackle 
him  upon  the  subject  of  the  influence  which  Evie  de- 
clared he  exerted  over  her,  so  when  the  meal  was  over, 
we  left  the  hotel  together  and,  seeing  from  the  front 
that  the  pier  was  practically  deserted,  I  led  the  way  to 
the  far  end,  determined  to  have  a  complete  explanation. 

He  was  silent  during  our  walk.  So  was  I,  for  I  was 
deliberating  how  best  to  introduce  the  subject.  As  it 
happened,  he  made  the  task  easy  for  me,  as  after  finding 


A  HOT   SCENT  205 

a  comfortable  scat  and  lighting  a  cigarette,  he  turned  to 
me  with — 

"Now,  old  fellow,  what  t»  h  you  have  on  your 
mind  ?  Out  with  it ! " 

I  told  him — told  him  fully  and  frankly  everything 
that  Evic  had  mentioned  to  me  concerning  him,  and  I 
finished  by  warning  him  that  I  was  determined  to 
exercise  the  right  ihc  had  given  me  to  protect  her.  He 
listened  to  me  attentively  and,  one  might  have  thought, 
even  sympathetically.  When  I  had  concluded,  he  sat 
silent  awhile ;  then,  looking  me  full  in  the  eyes,  he 
remarked — 

"  I  suppose,  Sutgrove,  if  I  tell  you  that  this  story  of 
the  influence  I  am  supposed  to  exercise  over  Miss  Mait- 
land  is  absolute  news  to  me,  you  will  not  believe 
me?" 

I  was  staggered,  and  my  astonishment  must  have 
been  visible  in  my  face,  for  he  continued — 

"You  may  be  surprised,  but  not  half  so  much  as  I 
have  been,  by  what  you  have  told  me.  Really,  the 
whole  story  sounds  the  maddest  farrago  of  nonsense  I 
have  ever  heard." 

I  was  about  to  make  an  angry  retort,  but  he  checked 
me  with  a  gesture — 

**  I  do  not  mean  any  offence,"  he  said  ;  **  for  I  can 
quite  understand  what  your  feelings  on  the  subject  must 
be.  I,  no  more  than  yourself,  would  tolerate  any  un- 
warrantable interference  such  as  you  describe.  It  is  just 
as  well  that  you  should  have  mentioned  the  matter  to 


206  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

me,  however,  for  you  will  know  so  much  better  how 
to  proceed." 

**  What  do  you  mean  ?  **  I  gasped. 

"  Why,  what  else  than  that  you  will  not  waste  any 
time  before  obtaining  medical  advice  for  Miss  Maitland," 
he  replied. 

I  felt  a  grey  horror  creeping  over  me — a  horror  that 
tied  my  tongue,  to  think  that  Evie — my  Evie — might 
prove  to  be — mad.  Again,  he  must  have  divined  my 
thoughts,  for  he  said  reassuringly — 

**  You  must  not  take  too  serious  a  view  of  the  case. 
Miss  Maitland  is  of  a  highly  nervous  temperament,  and, 
I  should  imagine,  rather  prone  to  hysteria."  Then, 
rising,  he  clapped  me  on  the  shoulder,  "  Take  a  cheerful 
view,  Sutgrove.  I'll  bet  you  ten  to  one  that  her  doctor 
will  inform  you  that  marriage  will  provide  a  complete 
cure." 

His  tone  was  so  hearty,  so  friendly,  that  I  instinctively 
grasped  his  hand,  and  he  returned  my  grip. 

The  subject  was  not  resumed  ;  and,  as  we  walked 
back  to  the  hotel,  I  was  completely  convinced  that  I  had 
been  an  unutterable  cad  ever  to  allow  a  single  doubt  con- 
cerning him  to  enter  my  mind,  much  less  to  harbour 
there. 

I  left  him  at  the  hotel  door  and  went  in  search  of 
my  car  to  continue  my  journey  to  Sutgrove  Hall.  H« 
was  still  standing  where  I  parted  from  him  when  I  swept 
post,  and  he  waved  his  hand  to  me,  a  smile  upon  his  face. 


CHAPTER  XX 

RELATES    MOW   THE   PIRATE    HOLM   UP   All    AUOWT 
PERSONAGE 

I  REACHED   my  destination  about  fire,  and  found,  as  I 
hoped,  a  telegram  awaiting  my  arrival     It  read — 

"Ever  so  much  better.  Do  not  worry  about  me. 
Cannot  spare  you  for  long  though.  Lots  of  love. — E.M 

With  my  mind  very  much  relieved,  I  was  able  to 
devote  my  attention  to  my  aunt,  who  was  full  ot 
questions  as  to  the  reason  for  my  unexpected  arrival  and 
equally  eager  for  a  full  account  of  my  doings  during  the 
past  six  months,  during  which  time,  she  assured  me,  I 
had  grossly  neglected  my  duties,  especially  by  my  failure 
to  keep  her  adequately  posted  regarding  my  engagement. 

I  was  anxious,  after  reading  Evie's  wire,  to  start  forth- 
with for  St.  Albans ;  my  aunt  was  equally  anxious  that 
I  should  remain  the  night  at  Sutgrove,  and  while  we 
were  arguing  the  point,  a  second  telegram  arrived,  which 
settled  the  matter.  I  tore  open  the  envelope  and  read — 

"  Meet  the  8.49  at  Cromer  with  motor.  Do  not  fail. 
Most  important. — FORREST." 


20*  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

The  message  had  been  handed  in  »t  Lircrpool  Street 
at  4.50,  and  I  wondered  what  could  have  happened  to 
necessitate  Forrest's  presence  in  Norfolk.  There  was 
litde  use  speculating,  however,  and  I  settled  down  to 
satiate,  if  it  were  possible,  my  aunt's  curiosity. 

She  was  duly  impressed  by  such  of  my  adventures  as 
I  thought  fit  to  relate,  but  she  was  not  neglectful  of 
what  she  considered  her  duties  as  hostess  and,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  I  had  eaten  a  hearty  lunch  about  two,  I 
was  able  shortly  after  seven  to  do  adequate  justice  to  the 
early  dinner  which  she  provided  for  me.  I  left  home 
soon  after  eight,  and,  in  consequence  of  my  impatience, 
had  to  wait  ten  minutes  on  the  Cromer  platform  for  the 
arrival  of  the  train. 

As  the  engine  drew  into  the  station,  I  saw  Forrest's 
head  thrust  out  of  the  window  of  one  of  the  carriages, 
and,  before  the  train  had  come  to  a  standstill,  he  had 
leaped  from  the  door  and  was  at  my  side.  He  was  for 
him  unusually  excited,  and,  without  reply  to  my  greeting, 
save  with  a  silent  hand  grip,  he  said — 

**  Seen  anything  of  Manner  ing  ?  " 

"Why,  yes,"  I  replied  directly.  "I  lunched  with 
him,  to-day.  He's  stopping  at  the  Royal." 

"That's  a  bit  of  luck,"  replied  the  detective. 
"  Come  along ; "  and  he  pushed  on  in  advance  of  me 
through  the  barrier. 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  I  asked,  as  I  caught  him  up 
in  the  station  yard. 

u  I  hold  a  warrant  for  his  arrest,  and  I  am  desirous  of 


HOLDS   UP   THE  209 

executing  it  at  the  earliest  possible  moment,  that's  all," 
he  replied. 

I  could  hardly  believe  my  ears.  **  What  in  the  world 
for?"  I  asked. 

a  What  should  it  be  for  ? "  said  Forrest,  with  a  touch 
of  sarcasm  in  the  tone  of  his  voice. 

"  He  cannot  be  the  Motor  Pirate.  It  is  impossible. 
He  could  not  have  deceived  me  so  completely,"  I 
exclaimed. 

**I  would  stake  everything  I  hope  for  in  the  future, 
as  well  as  everything  I  possess  at  the  present  moment, 
that  he  is  though,"  returned  the  detective  with  conviction. 
"  But  we  must  not  waste  time.  Take  me  to  the  hotel." 
Without  stopping  to  argue  the  point,  I  jumped  on  my 
car,  Forrest  took  the  seat  beside  me,  and  we  proceeded  to 
the  Royal. 

**  Leave  the  car  and  come  with  me,  I  may  want  your 
assistance,"  he  said,  as  we  pulled  up  at  the  entrance  to 
the  hotel. 

He  sprang  out  the  moment  I  stopped  and  ran  briskly 
up  the  steps.  A  porter  was  in  the  hall,  and  to  him 
Forrest  turned. 

"  I  want  to  see  a  Mr.  Mannering,  who  is  stopping  here, 
at  once,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  be  announced,"  he  said. 

The  man  walked  across  to  the  office  and  made  an 
inquiry  of  the  clerk,  then  returning,  announced  that 
Mannering  had  left  an  hour  previously. 

"  Left  ?  "  said  Forrest,  and  his  jaw  felL  He  stepped 
across  to  the  office  himself,  only  to  learn  that  though 

F 


no  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

Mannering  had  booked  a  room  for  the  night,  he  had 
after  dinner  called  for  his  bill,  paid  it,  and  left  on  his 
motor,  without  giving  any  reason  for  his  alteration  of 
plans. 

Forrest  stalked  out  of  the  hotel,  his  brow  heavy  with 
thought.  I  followed  him.  He  stepped  on  to  the  car, 
and,  taking  my  seat,  I  asked  him  tersely — 

"Whereto?" 

"St.  Albans,**  he  replied  with  brevity  equal  to  my 
own,  and  without  further  question  we  were  off. 

**  Don't  mind  taking  a  few  risks,"  he  said  presently. 
"  The  sooner  we  can  get  there  the  better  I  shall  be 
pleased." 

Then,  leaning  back  in  his  seat,  he  asked  me  to  tell 
him  how  I  happened  to  learn  of  Mannering's  presence  in 
Cromer,  and  what  he  had  said  to  convince  me  that  he 
was  in  no  way  connected  with  the  Pirate.  So  while  we 
were  still  running  at  a  moderate  pace,  I  gave  him  a  brief 
history  of  my  adventures  of  the  previous  night.  Before 
I  had  concluded,  however,  the  road  ahead  seemed  clear, 
and,  pulling  my  mask  over  my  face,  I  jammed  on  my 
highest  speed  and  conversation  became  impossible. 

Forrest  pulled  his  cap  down  over  his  eyes  and,  turning 
his  coat-collar  about  his  ears,  settled  himself  apparently 
to  slumber.  Within  half  an  hour  the  lights  of  Norwich 
sparkled  in  front  of  us,  and  it  became  necessary  to  slacken 
speed.  'Forrest  immediately  resumed  the  conversation  at 
the  point  where  we  had  broken  off^  and  questioned  me 
closely  with  regard  to  what  Mannering  had  said  to  me. 


HOLDS  UP  THE  *ii 

Once  and  again  I  endeavoured  to  ascertain  what  had 
induced  him  to  take  out  the  warrant ;  but  he  would  not 
satisfy  my  curiosity,  declaring  that  it  was  of  more 
importance  that  he  should  know  all  that  I  could  tell  him 
first.  There  seemed  little  likelihood  of  my  learning 
anything,  for  we  soon  left  Norwich  behind  us,  and  were 
running  at  full  speed  on  the  road  to  Thetfbrd  and  New- 
market, slackening  speed  only  slightly  as  we  swept 
through  the  villages  and  trusting  to  the  continuous  toot- 
toot  of  the  horn  to  clear  our  path.  Our  progress  was 
uninterrupted  until  we  had  reached  and  left  the  little 
town  of  Attleborough  five  or  six  miles  behind  us,  when 
Forrest  was  afforded  an  opportunity,  much  to  his  chagrin, 
of  giving  me  the  reasons  for  his  haste. 

Incidentally,  I  may  remark,  that  the  occurrence  which 
afforded  this  opportunity  came  very  near  depriving  me  of 
the  chance  of  hearing  anything  from  anybody,  or  him 
from  ever  opening  his  lips  again,  for  while  we  swept 
along  at  our  top  speed  there  was  a  sudden  hissing  sound, 
a  sudden  succession  of  jars,  and  the  car  swerved  violently, 
nearly  overturning.  I  jammed  on  both  my  breaks,  and 
by  good  fortune  the  car  did  not  overturn.  I  guessed 
what  had  happened,  and  there  was  no  need  for  me  to  get 
a  light  to  make  sure — my  sense  of  touch  informed  me 
that  the  off  back  tyre  was  as  fiat  as  a  pancake. 

I  hoped  that  the  injury  was  only  slight,  but  my  hopes 
faded  the  moment  I  examined  the  injury.  The*  tyre  had 
picked  up  a  curved  and  pointed  piece  of  iron,  and  had 
been  irreparably  damaged.  No  patching  was  of  any  use. 


212  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  replace  the  tyre  with 
a  new  one.  Fortunately,  I  was  prepared  with  a  spare 
outer  cover  as  well  as  inner  tubes,  and,  with  a  muttered 
curse,  I  threw  off  my  coat  and  set  about  the  job.  Then 
when  that  was  done,  and  it  took  me  a  good  hour  to 
complete  the  task,  I  discovered,  on  restarting  the  car,  that 
a  further  misfortune  had  befallen  us.  Either  owing  to 
the  jumping  of  the  car  when  the  tyre  went,  or  more 
likely  because  of  the  sudden  application,  the  footbreak 
had  seized,  and  the  transmission  was  so  far  injured  that 
I  could  not  get  the  car  along  above  seven  or  eight  miles 
an  hour.  I  did  my  best  to  put  the  damage  right.  I  lay 
on  my  back  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  and  used  all  the 
language  approved  by  the  most  fluent  members  of  the 
Automobile  Club  for  use  on  such  occasions,  but  entirely 
without  result.  Exactly  where  we  were  I  did  not  know, 
and,  after  I  had  relieved  my  feelings,  I  thought  it  best  to 
jog  along  until  we  came  to  some  town  where  it  would 
be  possible  to  get  skilled  assistance. 

And  it  was  while  we  were  progressing  in  this  hum- 
drum fashion  that  Forrest  confided  to  me  the  reasons  for 
his  anxiety. 

"In  the  first  place,"  he  said,  "your  theory  as  to  the 
stud  found  by  Mannering's  servants  proved  to  be  correct. 
It  was  Winter's.  I  arrived  at  St.  Albans  the  first  thing 
this  morning,  and,  after  getting  your  note,  went  straight 
away  and  interviewed  the  girls.  They  handed  me  the 
trinket.  I  took  it  to  Winter,  and  he  identified  it.  He 
will  swear  to  it  anywhere.  By  the  time  I  had  done  this. 


HOLDS   UP   THE  213 

your  wire  for  me  had  arrived,  and  your  man,  having  seen 
me  go  into  Winter's  house,  brought  it  on.  I  took  the 
next  train  to  town  and  went  straight  to  the  Yard, 
thankful  that  at  last  I  was  able  to  report  something 
definite.  Besides,  I  wanted  to  take  a  warrant  without 
any  one  being  aware  of  it,  and  I  knew  I  could  manage 
that  better  in  London  than  in  the  country.  Well,  I 
called  at  the  Yard,  ran  across  to  Bow  Street  and  got  my 
warrant,  and  returned  to  the  Yard  in  order  to  instruct 
a  couple  of  our  men  who  had  been  placed  at  my  disposal. 
While  I  was  there  particulars  came  to  hand  of  a  feat 
which  throws  all  the  other  doings  of  the  Pirate  into  the 
shade.  You  mentioned,  I  think,  that  Mannering,  when 
he  told  Miss  Maitland  that  he  was  going  away,  said  that 
all  England  would  be  talking  of  him." 

"  She  said  so,"  I  replied  doubtfully  ;  u  but  she  was  so 
excited " 

"  She  was  probably  correct  in  her  recollection  of  what 
passed,"  he  said.  "  If  further  proof  were  wanted  to 
connect  your  friend  with  the  Motor  Pirate,  those  words 
would  be  sufficient.  If  what  I  know  leaks  out,  the  Pirate 
will  fill  the  popular  mind  more  to-morrow  than  he  has 
done  in  the  past  even.  Yesterday  morning,  within  six 
miles  of  Sandringham,  he  held  up  " — he  hesitated — "  1 
must  mention  no  names — he  held  up,  let  me  say,  an 
August  Personage " 

"  The  King  ?  "  I  cried. 

«  An  August  Personage,"  remarked  Forrest,  severely, 
**  in  broad  daylight." 


2I4  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

"  Let  me  hear  all  about  it  ? "  I  asked  eagerly. 

"I  don't  know  that  I  can  tell  you  everything,  fot 
so  far  I  only  know  the  particulars  wired  to  the  Yard. 
But  the  story  is  complete  enough  to  enable  me  to  do  what 
I  have  hitherto  failed  in,  and  that  is,  complete  the 
necessary  identification  of  our  friend  Mannering.  And 
curiously  enough,  it  is  owing  to  the  keen  powers  of 
observation  possessed  by  the " 

"  The  August  Personage,"  I  reminded  him,  a  trifle 
maliciously  as  he  hesitated. 

Forrest  laughed.  "  Quite  right,  you  score  that  time," 
he  remarked,  before  resuming  his  tale.  **  Owing  to  the 
August  Personage's  keen  powers  of  observation,  I  am  able 
to  lay  my  finger  on  the  one  point  which  has  puzzled  me, 
namely,  the  manner  by  which  Mannering  has  managed 
to  escape  suspicion.  It  is  a  simple  trick.  So  simple,  in 
fact,  that  I  cannot  conceive  how  I  managed  to  overlook 
such  a  possibility  for  so  long.  However,  you  shall  hear 
the  facts  as  they  were  told  to  me,  and  judge  for  yourself 
with  what  transparent  means  we  have  been  hoodwinked 
by  the  rascal.  The  August  Personage,  who,  as  you  are 
probably  aware,  has  been  staying  at  Sandringham  for 
some  days  past,  has  been  in  the  habit  of  taking  a  ride  on 
one  of  his  cars  whenever  the  roads  were  in  good  con- 
dition, accompanied  only  by  his  chauffeur.  This  morning 
he  started  for  the  customary  run  shortly  after  eleven,  with 
the  intention  of  taking  a  circular  trip  through  Hunstanton, 
Burnham,  Docking  and  Bircham,  and  returning  for 
\uncheon.  The  intention  was  not  fulfilled  since,  before 


HOLDS  UP  THE  

reaching  Hunstanton,  the  Pirate  made  his  appearance, 
and  approaching  as  usual  from  behind,  overtook  the 
August  motor.  The  August  driver  did  not  at  first  take 
any  notice  of  the  approaching  car,  but,  merely  imagining 
that  the  driver  had  recognized  him,  and  felt  some 
delicacy  at  passing,  he  signalled  with  his  hand  for  the 
stranger  to  go  ahead.  What  was  his  surprise  to  hear  the 
stranger  in  a  loud  voice  bid  him  stop  his  car.  He  turned 
to  look  at  the  audacious  person  who  had  dared  take  such 
unwarrantable  liberty,  and  at  once  observed  with  whom 
he  had  to  deal.  The  Pirate  had  in  his  hand  a  revolver, 
which  was  levelled  at  the  August  head.  The  August  face 
flushed  with  anger,  and  turning  away,  he  contemptuously 
took  no  notice  of  the  summons.  The  Pirate  thereupon 
fired  two  shots,  aimed,  fortunately,  neither  at  the  August 
Personage  nor  at  the  chauffeur,  but  at  the  tyres  of  the 
back  wheels.  The  aim  was  good,  the  tyres  ran  down  at 
once,  and  the  August  Personage  found  progress  on  the 
rims  to  be  so  uncomfortable  that  he  thought  it  desirable 
to  stop.  The  stranger  ranged  alongside,  and  the  chauffeur, 
rising  from  his  seat,  was  about  to  throw  himself  at  the 
throat  of  the  assailant,  when  his  August  master  laid  a 
hand  upon  his  arm. 

"  *  No,  no,'  he  said,  *  I  can  easily  get  another  car, 
but  I  do  not  know  that  I  could  replace  my  chauffeur.* 

"Thereupon  the  Pirate  observed,  'I  think,  sir,  there  is 
so  much  wisdom  in  your  remark  that,  in  spite  of  my 
necessities,  I  almost  feel  inclined  to  forego  my  usual  toll 
in  your  case. 


216  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

"The  August  Personage,  whose  coolness  had  never 
for  a  moment  deserted  him,  replied  imperturbably — 

"  *  Having  robbed  me  of  a  morning's  enjoyment,  it 
seems  to  me  there  is  nothing  of  any  particular  value  left 
for  you  to  take.' 

**  *  Then,  sir,*  replied  the  rascal,  *  you  will  be  doubt- 
less glad  to  purchase  my  immediate  disappearance  with 
the  contents  of  the  August  pockets  ? ' 

**  August  was  not  the  word  he  used,  but  it  was  one 
which  showed  that  he  was  acquainted  with  the  personality 
of  his  victim. 

a  The  August  Personage  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and, 
searching  his  pockets,  could  produce  nothing  but  a 
cigarette  case  and  a  button.  To  show  his  sang-froid,  I 
need  only  remark  that  when  he  produced  the  latter 
article  he  laughed  heartily  and  said  to  the  chauffeur — 

u  *  I  hope,  P ,  you  have  something  to  add  to  the 

contents  of  my  pockets,  or  I  fear  this  too  eager  gentle- 
man will  destroy  our  front  tyres  as  well  as  the  back.' 

"  The  chauffeur  had  some  loose  gold,  a  silver  match* 
box,  and  a  watch,  and  when  these  were  produced,  speaking 
with  the  same  nonchalance  he  had  retained  throughout, 
the  August  Personage  remarked — 

***!  fear  you  have  drawn  a  blank  this  time,  Mr. 
Pirate ;  for,  upon  my  word,  that  is  the  best  I  can  do  for  you.' 

"  The  Pirate  took  the  articles.  Then  he  raised  his  hat. 
*  I  take,'  he  said,  *  the  August  word  as  readily  as  I  take 
these  souvenirs  of  this  memorable  meeting,'  and  with 
these  words,  he  pulled  a  lever  and  was  speedily  out  of  sight." 


HOLDS   UP   THE  217 

**  By  Jove  !  "  I  muttered.  **  The  fellow's  audacity  is 
almost  past  belief.  But  you  said  something  of  observations 
made  by  the  August  victim  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Forrest.  M  The  chauffeur  was  much  too 
agitated  to  notice  anything,  but  his  master  was  not.  He 
observed  four  things.  First,  that  the  Pirate  was  a  man 
of  about  six  feet  in  height.'* 

"  Mannering  is  five  feet  eleven  and  a  quarter  in  his 
socks,"  I  remarked. 

"  Secondly,  that  his  hair  was  black.  Thirdly,  that  the 
nails  of  the  right  hand,  with  which  he  took  his  plunder, 
were  bitten  to  the  quick." 

"  The  identification  becomes  nearly  perfect,"  I 
interrupted. 

"  Fourthly,  that  the  car  was  originally  a  two-seated 
car,  with  a  tonneau  body,  but  that  the  seat  had  been  set 
back,  and  the  bonnet  was  enclosed  by  metal  plates  shaped 
into  the  form  of  the  bow  of  a  canoe,  and  bolted  together 
in  a  manner  which  gave  the  impression  that  they  might 
easily  be  removed.  Why,"  continued  the  detective,  "  I 
did  not  think  of  so  obvious  a  solution  of  the  Pirate's 
mysterious  disappearances  before  I  cannot  imagine.  It 
is  the  trick  the  black  flag  merchants  have  practised  since 
the  days  of  Captain  Kidd." 

I  was  silent.  I  could  only  wonder  at  my  own 
blindness.  Then  an  excuse  occurred  to  me. 

"  After  all,"  I  remarked,  a  we  only  met  him  in  the 
dark." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

WE    PLAN    AN    AMBUSH 

FORREST  had  just  concluded  his  story  when  the  lights  of 
Thetford  gleamed  in  our  eyes.  The  time  was  12.30. 
The  last  train  was  gone.  The  inhabitants  were  all  in 
bed,  and  there  we  were,  stranded  with  a  broken  car,  and 
no  means  of  putting  it  right.  Forrest  would  not  despair, 
however,  and  after  some  difficulty  we  managed,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  local  police,  to  knock  up  a  man  who 
was  locally  reputed  to  know  all  about  motors.  He  was 
a  little  surly  at  first,  but  the  inducement  I  offered  him  to 
make  an  attempt  to  put  the  transmission  right,  was  suffi- 
cient to  dissipate  his  rery  natural  disgust  at  being  disturbed 
in  his  beauty  sleep.  Fortunately  his  local  reputation  had 
reasonable  foundation.  He  was  a  very  capable  mechanician, 
and  the  way  he  set  about  the  job  gave  me  great  hopes 
that  the  car  would  run  as  well  as  ever  when  he  had 
done  with  it.  And  my  expectations  were  gratified.  In 
less  than  an  hour  he  had  completed  the  repairs.  I  paid 
him  and  asked  him  to  remain  up  for  ten  minutes  in  case 
we  had  another  breakdown,  telling  him  that  after  that 
period  had  elapsed,  he  would  be  at  liberty  to  return  to  his 

•it 


WE  PLAN  AN  AMBUSH         119 

bed.  Whether  he  waited  the  ten  minutes  or  not  I  do 
not  know,  for  by  that  time  we  were  halfway  to  New- 
market, flying  through  the  darkness  at  a  pace  which  two 
months  previously  I  would  not  have  dared  venture  upon 
in  broad  daylight.  And  right  onward  to  St.  Albans,  we 
kept  it  up,  reaching  the  ancient  town  just  as  the  birds 
began  to  twitter  in  the  hedges  at  the  first  grey  light  of 
early  dawn.  At  St.  Albans  we  stopped  at  the  police- 
station.  A  man  was  waiting  at  the  door. 

a  Any  news  ? "  asked  Forrest. 

The  man  shook  his  head. 

**  You  know  where  to  bring  it  ?  "  asked  my  companion. 

The  man  nodded. 

**  Let  us  get  on  home,"  said  Forrest  to  me. 

As  I  wheeled  my  vehicle  into  my  yard  I  thought  I 
should  drop.  The  strain  of  that  rush  through  the  night, 
expecting  every  moment  that  something  would  give  way, 
had  been  tremendous,  and  the  moment  the  tension  was 
relaxed  I  shook  like  an  aspen  leaf.  When  I  tried  to  get 
in  at  my  own  door  I  found  I  could  not  fit  the  latch-key, 
and  was  obliged  to  hand  it  to  the  detective.  He  saw 
what  was  the  matter  with  me,  and  the  moment  we  were 
inside,  he  led  the  way  to  my  study,  thrust  me  down  into 
a  chair  and  mixed  me  a  whisky-and-soda.  I  was  never 
more  grateful  for  a  drink  in  my  life.  It  pulled  me 
together,  and  in  less  time  than  I  had  conceived  possible, 
1  felt  as  if  I  could  have  managed  another  seventy-five 
miles  without  a  halt. 

The  moment  he  saw  my  nerves  were  steaay  again, 


220  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

Forrest  proposed  that  we  should  get  something  to  eat.  I 
declared  that  I  did  not  want  anything. 

"When  you  haven't  time  for  sleep,  the  next  best 
thing  is  to  feed  well  if  you  want  to  keep  fit,"  he 
remarked.  "  Besides,  I  am  as  hungry  as  a  hunter  has  a 
right  to  be." 

"That  settles  it,"  I  laughed.  "We  shall  have  to 
forage  for  ourselves.  The  servants  are  all  asleep." 

We  found  our  way  to  the  larder  and  made  a  hearty 
meal  on  a  cold  pie  we  found  there  ;  and  directly  we 
had  finished,  we  set  out  forthwith  in  the  direction  of 
Mannering's  home.  As  soon  as  we  arrived  opposite 
the  house,  Forrest  paused  and  gave  a  low  whistle.  It  was 
answered  immediately  by  a  man  dressed  as  a  labourer, 
who  made  his  appearance  from  behind  the  hedge  opposite 
the  house. 

"  Any  one  been  here  to-night,  Laver  ?  "  asked  Forrest. 

**  No  one,"  the  man  answered.  "  The  servants 
turned  in  about  ten  after  locking  up.  No  signs  of  any 
one  about  the  place  since." 

"That's  all  right,"  grunted  Forrest.  "We  shall  be 
ready  for  him  when  he  does  come.  Have  you  got  the 
tools?" 

The  man  was  proceeding  to  scramble  through  the 
hedge  when  Forrest  checked  him. 

u  Better  stay  where  you  are,"  he  advised.  "  Keep  out 
of  sight,  and  if  I  whistle,  come  at  once." 

"All  right,  sir,"  replied  the  man,  as  he  handed  through 
a  gap  in  the  hedge  a  small  chamois  leather  bag. 


WE   PLAN   AN   AMBUSH         221 

I  had  no  idea  as  to  what  steps  Forrest  proposed  to 
adopt  in  order  to  effect  the  arrest,  so  I  asked  him,  and  he 
explained  briefly  his  plan  of  campaign. 

"  One  can  see,"  he  remarked,  "  that  Mannering  feels 
so  confident  of  the  completeness  of  his  disguise  that  he 
will  have  no  hesitation  about  returning.  I  am  reckoning, 
too,  upon  there  being  an  element  of  truth  in  the  story 
he  has  told  you  about  the  construction  of  his  motor,  in 
which  case  his  own  workshop  would  be  the  only  place 
where  he  would  be  able  to  refill  his  tank.  We  shall  be 
able  to  decide  that  point  in  a  very  few  minutes.  If  we 
do  find  any  plant  for  the  production  of  liquid  gases,  we  can 
count  upon  catching  our  man  within  a  very  few  hours." 

"  Unless  he  smells  a  rat,  and  makes  for  some  convenient 
port  and  gets  out  of  the  country,"  I  remarked. 

"That  eventuality  is  provided  against,"  remarked  the 
detective.  "  His  description  is  in  the  hands  of  the  police 
at  every  port  in  the  kingdom,  and  even  if  he  changes  the 
colour  of  his  hair,  I  don't  think  he  will  manage  to  get 
away.  What  I  propose  is,  that  we  shall  remain  concealed 
in  his  coach-house  and  await  his  return." 

"  How  are  we  going  to  get  in  ? "  I  inquired. 

Forrest  took  a  bunch  of  skeleton  keys  from  the  bag 
Laver  had  handed  to  him  and  dangled  them  before  his  eyes. 

"There's  not  a  burglar  in  the  kingdom  is  better 
provided,"  he  remarked,  and  set  to  work  upon  the  lock 
forthwith. 

The  lock  was  an  ordinary  one,  and  his  efforts  were 
speedily  successful.  The  door  swung  open,  and  we 


222  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

entered  eagerly  a  bare,  stone-paved  coach-house.  Op- 
posite the  door  by  which  we  had  entered  from  the  road 
was  a  similar  door,  which  gave  upon  the  inner  yard.  On 
the  left,  a  large  sliding  door  had  been  fixed  in  place  of  the 
wall  which  had  divided  the  coach-house  from  the  stables. 
Relocking  the  door  by  which  we  had  entered,  Forrest 
led  the  way  to  the  door  on  the  left.  It  was  unfastened, 
and  as  it  swung  back  a  cry  of  amazement  sprang  to 
my  lips. 

u  Hush — sh — sh  ! "  said  the  detective  warningly. 

But  I  could  not  have  repressed  the  cry,  for  there  before 
me  stood  a  replica  of  the  car  I  had  seen  on  two  occasions. 
There  was  only  one  point  of  difference  at  first  apparent. 
The  pirate  car  had  been  black.  This  one  was  built  of 
aluminium  and  gleamed  silvery  white.  But  although  the 
lines  were  very  similar,  I  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  car  we  saw  before  us  was  not  the  one  which  the 
Pirate  had  used  when  engaged  upon  his  nefarious  work. 
One  glance  at  the  tyres  convinced  me  that  they  had 
never  been  upon  the  road,  and  I  fancied  that  the  wheels 
were  smaller  and  the  lines  of  the  body  finer  altogether. 
I  pointed  these  things  out  to  Forrest,  who,  while  agreeing 
that  this  particular  car  could  not  have  been  the  one 
which  had  been  responsible  for  holding  up  the  "August 
Personage"  on  the  previous  day,  would  not  commit 
himself  further. 

We  did  not  spend  much  time  upon  a  close  examina- 
tion of  the  car,  for  the  other  contents  of  the  building 
claimed  our  attention.  We  found  ourselves  in  a  long 


WE   PLAN  AN   AMBUSH         223 

workshop.  There  were  no  windows  in  the  walls,  but 
the  place  was  amply  illuminated  by  a  skylight  which  ran 
along  nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  northern  slope  of 
the  roof.  On  the  right  of  the  large  door  by  which  we 
had  entered  the  inner  shop  was  a  small  room,  which  had 
probably  once  served  as  a  harness-room,  for  through  this 
another  door  gave  on  to  the  yard,  though  this  exit  was 
evidently  never  used,  for  the  door  was  fixed  by  screws. 
The  contents  were  a  couple  of  broken  chairs,  and  some 
coats  and  rugs  hung  upon  hooks  upon  the  walls,  together 
with  a  miscellaneous  assortment  of  odds  and  ends  upon  a 
shelf.  I  gave  merely  a  cursory  glance  at  the  contents  of 
this  apartment,  for  my  attention  had  been  attracted  by  a 
plant  of  machinery,  which  occupied  the  far  end  of  the 
large  room.  As  it  happened,  I  had  once  had  an  opportunity 
of  inspecting  the  laboratory  of  the  Royal  Institution,  and 
I  recognized  at  once  that  Mannering  had  set  up  an  instal- 
lation for  the  preparation  of  some  one  or  other  of  the 
liquid  gases.  Without  this  experience,  I  doubt  whether 
it  would  have  been  possible  for  me  to  guess  even  the 
purpose  for  which  the  plant  had  been  devised.  As  it 
was,  I  had  no  hesitation  in  discovering  the  receiver  into 
which  the  liquid  gas  was  distilled  ;  and  when  I  let  a  little 
of  the  liquid  with  which  it  was  filled  run  into  a  glass 
which  I  found  handy,  and  saw  the  air  fall  in  a  shower  of 
tiny  snow-flakes  as  the  stuff  evaporated,  I  knew  that 
Mannering  had  told  me  the  exact  truth  when  he  had- 
in  formed  me  that  liquid  hydrogen  supplied  the  power  for 
kis  new  car. 


2i4  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

Once  satisfied  on  this  point,  I  examined  the  other 
contents  of  the  place.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  need 
to  particularize  all  that  we  discovered,  even  if  my  memory 
served  me.  Practically  the  workshop  contained  a  sufficient 
engineering  equipment  to  build  such  a  car  as  stood  in  the 
centre,  though  I  judged  that  there  was  no  convenience 
for  the  forging  of  the  parts  of  the  motor. 

Still,  as  I  pointed  out  to  Forrest,  there  was  nothing 
in  all  these  discoveries  to  negative  the  truth  of  the  story 
Mannering  had  told  me  about  his  being  engaged  in  build- 
ing a  car  which  should  serve  to  outpace  the  Pirate  car, 
but  he  would  not  listen  to  any  theorising  on  the  subject. 

"  He  can  tell  that  story  to  the  jury,"  he  said,  as  he 
significantly  drew  a  pair  of  handcuffs  from  his  pocket  and 
clinked  them  together.  Then  he  proceeded  to  investigate 
the  contents  of  the  harness-room,  while  I  went  back  to 
the  new  car  and  began  a  careful  examination  of  the 
engines.  The  whole  mechanism  was,  however,  so  novel 
to  me,  that  I  could  only  surmise  as  to  the  method  of  its 
working.  I  did  notice,  however,  that  the  driving  and 
steering  gear  varied  very  little  from  that  of  my  own  car, 
so  far  as  it  was  controlled  by  the  levers  and  wheel,  while 
the  breaks  seemed  to  be  particularly  powerful.  There 
was  only  seating  accommodation  for  two,  and  judging 
from  the  size  of  the  tank  which  was  fitted  behind  the 
seat,  I  judged  that  Mannering  contemplated  runs  over 
distances  which  would  make  large  demands  upon  his 
supply  of  liquid  gas. 

At  the  moment  I  made  this  discovery,  I  heard  Forrest 


WE   PLAN    AN   AMBUSH          225 

call  to  me  in  an  excited  whisper,  and  going  across  to 
him,  I  found  him  contemplating  with  keen  interest  a 
dirty  piece  of  rope. 

"Look  here,  Sutgrove,"  he  said  ;  "this  is  the  piece  of 
cord  with  which  he  trussed  me  up  on  the  occasion  when 
he  dropped  me  into  the  pond.  Compare  it  with  this  " — 
he  kicked  a  coil  which  lay  at  his  feet — "and  tell  me  if 
they  are  not  identical." 

I  examined  them  both,  and  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  Forrest  was  correct  in  his  supposition.  Next,  mount- 
ing one  of  the  chairs,  he  proceeded  to  rummage  amongst 
the  rubbish  piled  on  the  shelf.  A  moment  later  he 
observed  triumphantly,  albeit  in  subdued  tones,  "Another 
piece  of  evidence,"  and  descending  from  his  perch,  he 
handed  me  a  box  of  cartridges.  A  glance  at  the  label 
had  apparently  been  enough,  nevertheless,  to  make  sure, 
he  searched  again  in  his  pocket,  and  produced  the  bullet 
which  had  proved  fatal  to  the  poor  victim  at  Towcester. 
He  compared  it  with  one  of  the  cartridges,  and  gave  a 
grunt  of  content.  "I  fancy  we  shall  soon  obtain  suffi- 
cient evidence  to  hang  him,"  he  murmured.  Then  a 
shadow  crossed  his  face.  "  What  an  infernal  dunderhead 
I  have  been  not  to  suspect  him  before,"  he  said,  and 
turning  impatiently  away,  he  replaced  the  box  of  cartridges 
on  the  shelf,  before  renewing  his  systematic  examination 
of  the  rest  of  the  contents  of  the  room.  The  search 
revealed  nothing  further,  and  at  length  he  desisted. 

All  the  while  we  were  keenly  on  the  alert  to  detect 
any  sound  which  should  tell  us  of  the  approach  of 

9 


226  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

Mannering*s  car.  But  the  minutes  passed  and  grew  into 
hours  without  a  sign.  It  must  have  been  about  five  in 
the  morning  when  we  had  entered  the  coach-house,  and 
when  I  saw  by  my  watch  that  it  was  nearly  ten,  I  began 
to  think  that  in  some  way  or  another  Mannering  had  got 
warning  of  the  danger  that  threatened  him.  I  suggested 
to  Forrest  that  we  might  as  well  leave  our  hiding-place, 
but  he  would  not  hear  of  it. 

**  I  don't  leave  this  building  except  in  his  company, 
unless  I  hear  that  he  has  been  captured  elsewhere,"  he 
declared  obstinately.  "At  the  same  time,  don't  let  me 
detain  you." 

I  wanted  badly  to  see  Evie,  whom  I  thought  might 
be  getting  anxious  concerning  me ;  but  I  hardly  liked 
the  idea  of  leaving  Forrest  to  tackle  Mannering  alone 
if  he  should  return.  However,  my  first  desire  triumphed, 
so  I  persuaded  Forrest  to  let  me  out  of  the  door,  promising 
to  return  within  as  short  a  time  as  I  could  manage. 

I  hurried  first  to  the  Colonel's  house,  and  had  a 
brief  interview  with  the  dear  girl,  telling  her  what  had 
happened  and  what  was  likely  to  happen  in  the  near 
future.  Next,  I  went  to  my  own  place,  and  had  a  basket 
packed  with  a  plentiful  luncheon,  not  forgetting  to  pro- 
vide a  couple  of  bottles  of  champagne,  and  thus  provided 
I  returned  to  the  coach-house  after  an  absence  of  less 
than  an  hour. 

When  in  response  to  my  signal  Forrest  admitted  me, 
his  eyes  twinkled  with  satisfaction  as  he  saw  my  burden. 

"It  is  truly  thoughtful  of  you,"  he  remarked,  as  I 


WE   PLAN   AN   AMBUSH         117 

lifted  the  lid  of  the  basket  and  revealed  the  contents. 
"I  only  hope  our  friend  will  not  spoil  our  picnic  by 
arriving  in  the  middle  of  it.*' 

The  better  to  avoid  any  such  contretemps,  we  set  about 
our  meal  immediately  with  very  good  appetites.  When 
we  had  finished,  I  do  not  know  how  Forrest  felt,  but  I 
was  confoundedly  drowsy.  I  tried  all  sorts  of  tricks  to 
keep  my  eyes  open,  but  the  quiet  of  the  place,  the  cool- 
ness, and  the  subdued  light  of  the  saddle-room,  where 
Forrest  thought  it  best  for  us  to  remain,  were  too  much 
for  my  powers  of  resistance  and  I  dropped  off  to  sleep. 

I  must  have  slumbered  for  a  couple  of  hours,  if  not 
three,  when  I  was  suddenly  awakened  by  a  hand  placed 
on  my  mouth,  while  a  voice  whispered  in  my  ear — 

**  Wake  up,  man — wake  up  I  There's  no  time  to 
lose." 

I  came  to  myself  with  a  start.  Forrest  had  hold  ot 
me,  and  was  shaking  me  violently.  At  the  same  moment 
I  became  aware  of  the  throb  of  an  approaching  motor. 

Recognizing  the  sound,  I  turned  to  the  detective. 

**  That's  Mannering,"  I  whispered. 

w  Yes,"  replied  my  companion.  a  I  could  swear  to 
the  sound  anywhere," 


CHAPTER   XXII 

GONE    AWAY 

u  DON'T  stir  an  inch  until  I  give  the  signal,"  whispered 
Forrest  in  my  ear,  as  soon  as  he  saw  I  was  fully  awake. 
He  was  perfectly  calm,  and  he  closed  the  door  in  order 
to  conceal  us  from  the  sight  of  any  one  entering  the 
workshop. 

The  car  pulled  up  outside.  We  heard  the  grate  of 
the  key  in  the  lock,  and  the  door  creak  on  its  hinges, 
as  it  swung  open.  There  was  a  second  grating  noise, 
and  I  judged  that  the  door  of  the  inner  yard  had  been 
opened  by  whoever  had  entered.  There  followed  a  few 
more  pants  from  the  motor,  as  it  passed  through  the 
coach-house  into  the  yard,  and  then  everything  was  silent. 
The  outer  door  shutting  with  a  snap  apprized  us  that  the 
crucial  moment  was  at  hand,  and  my  heart  began  to 
thump  as  I  heard  footsteps  approaching.  Forrest  pointed 
to  a  vacant  hook  over  my  head,  and  I  recognized  why 
he  had  selected  the  harness-room  for  our  hiding-place. 
The  footsteps  came  slowly  nearer,  then  stopped,  and  a 
long  low  laugh  came  from  the  lips  of  the  unseen  man. 
I  thought  we  must  have  been  discovered  in  our  hiding- 
place  and  glanced  at  Forrest  for  instructions.  He  never 

to! 


GONE   AWAY  229 

moved  a  muscle.  He  stood  poised  like  a  greyhound 
about  to  be  slipped  from  the  leash. 

The  footsteps  approached  again.  The  door  knob 
rattled  as  a  hand  was  laid  upon  it.  The  door  flew  open. 
Forrest  darted  forward. 

I  caught  one  glimpse  of  Mannering's  face,  for  it  was 
indeed  he,  and  I  saw  it  become  suddenly  livid.  It  was 
not  the  pallor  of  fear.  His  eyes  flashed.  He  had  doffed 
his  coat  and  was  holding  it  in  one  hand,  and  quick  as 
was  Forrest's  spring,  he  was  equally  swift  to  meet  it. 
His  other  hand  passed  swift  as  lightning  from  the  door 
handle,  and  catching  the  edge  of  the  coat,  spread  the 
garment  in  front  of  him.  Forrest,  missing  his  grip, 
plunged  heavily  into  the  wide  folds  of  the  garment. 
Mannering's  arms  closed  as  a  vice.  The  door  swinging 
back  had  momentarily  blocked  my  passage.  I  thrust  it 
open,  and  had  taken  one  step  forward  to  Forrest's  assist- 
ance, when  Mannering  with  a  herculean  effort,  swung 
the  detective  from  his  feet,  and  hurled  him  full  at  me. 
It  was  a  magnificent  effort,  and  I  went  down  with  a 
crash  amongst  the  remains  of  the  lunch  with  Forrest  on 
the  top  of  me.  The  whole  incident  had  not  lasted 
twenty  seconds,  and  before  either  of  us  could  regain  our 
feet,  the  door  was  slammed  and  locked. 

Forrest  was  the  first  to  regain  his  feet,  and  he  rushed 
at  the  door  furiously.  We  were  trapped.  The  door 
was  a  strong  one  of  oak,  and  I  remembered  that  it 
fastened  by  a  couple  of  bolts  on  the  other  side.  The 
detective  worried  the  door  like  a  bear  at  the  bars  of  his 


230  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

cage,  but  he  could  not  move  it.  He  gnashed  his  teeth, 
and  he  was  white  with  rage.  From  the  other  side  we 
could  hear  the  sound  of  heavy  objects  being  moved,  and 
we  guessed  that  our  enemy  was  piling  the  most  massive 
articles  his  workshop  contained  against  the  door  to  make 
it  more  secure. 

« D n  you,  Sutgrove  I "  shouted  the  detective. 

"Don't  stop  to  think,  or  we  shall  lose  our  man  after 
all.  Come,  both  together." 

I  saw  his  intention,  and  I  could  understand  and 
forgive  his  curse  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment 
Together  we  hurled  ourselves  against  the  door.  It  did 
not  move  an  inch,  and  a  long  low  chuckle  greeted  the 
attempt  from  the  other  side.  We  tried  madly  again  and 
again,  but  the  barrier  was  immovable. 

Then  I  looked  round  for  some  tool  which  would 
enable  me  to  break  down  the  door  itself.  There  were 
only  the  chairs  available,  and  so  I  tore  off  the  leg  of  one 
of  them,  and,  bidding  Forrest  stand  back,  I  swung  the 
piece  of  wood  round  my  head,  and  struck  as  hard  as  I 
could  against  one  of  the  lower  panels  of  the  door.  The 
improvised  club  flew  into  half  a  dozen  fragments,  but 
the  panel  had  cracked.  Forrest  had  provided  himself 
meanwhile  with  a  similar  club,  and  directed  his  blows 
so  effectively  that  the  panel  was  driven  out.  I  threw 
myself  at  the  gap,  trusting  to  be  able  to  force  my  way 
through. 

What  I  saw  filled  me  with  rage.  The  wheels  of  the 
new  car  were  moving,  and  right  before  my  eyes  the  car 


GONE  AWAY  231 

disappeared  into  the  outer  coach-house.  I  made  an  un- 
availing attempt  to  struggle  through  the  aperture,  but  the 
attempt  was  hopeless.  It  was  too  narrow  to  admit  even 
my  shoulders.  Withdrawing,  I  told  Forrest  what  I  had 
seen. 

"I  had  entirely  forgotten  Laver,"  he  remarked,  and 
putting  his  whistle  to  his  mouth,  he  blew  it  shrill  and 
clear. 

Then  together  we  renewed  our  attack  upon  the  door. 
The  sound  of  a  shout  from  the  outside  followed  by  a 
pistol  shot  made  us  work  like  madmen,  and  within  a 
minute,  another  panel  gave,  and  we  managed  to  get  at 
the  bolts  and  draw  them.  The  articles  piled  against  the 
door  toppled  in  all  directions,  as  we  finally  forced  our 
way  out. 

We  were  too  late.  The  outer  door  was  wide  open, 
and  just  on  the  threshold,  was  Forrest's  unfortunate 
subordinate  lying  on  the  ground,  with  blood  trickling 
down  his  arm.  He  struggled  into  a  sitting  position  as 
we  came  out,  and  pointed  up  the  road  in  the  direction 
of  St.  Albans. 

**  Gone  away,  sir,*'  he  said. 

"  Hurt  ? "  asked  Forrest,  pausing  as  he  did  so. 

"  Not  much ;  smashed  shoulder,  I  fancy,"  remarked 
the  sufferer  philosophically. 

"I'll  send  assistance,"  said  my  companion  as  he 
rushed  after  me  into  the  road,  where  I  stood  horror 
stricken  z.t  what  met  my  gaze. 

Fifty   yards  distant,   opposite   the   entrance   gate  at 


232  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

Colonel  Maitland's  house,  the  new  car  was  standing  still. 
It  was  empty.  The  gate  was  open,  and  even  as  I 
watched,  I  saw  Mannering  come  out  of  the  gate,  bearing 
in  his  arms  the  helpless  figure  of  a  girl.  There  was  no 
need  to  guess  who  the  victim  might  be.  Even  before  I 
saw  him  appear,  I  knew  intuitively  why  he  had  stopped. 
Had  he  not  told  Evie  that  on  the  third  day  he  would  re- 
turn, bidding  her  be  ready  for  him  ? 

I  rushed  forward  towards  the  car,  but  before  I  had 
covered  half  the  distance  which  separated  me  from  it,  he 
was  aboard  with  his  burden  and  I  knew  pursuit  on  foot  to 
be  hopeless. 

Yet,  even  as  I  saw  him  move  away,  there  flashed 
across  my  brain  one  means  by  which  I  might  possibly 
get  on  terms  with  my  enemy.  There  was  just  one 
chance,  and  one  chance  only,  of  rescuing  my  darling  from 
the  Pirate,  and  that  chance  depended  entirely  upon  the 
question  as  to  whether  the  car  upon  which  Mannering 
had  returned  was  fitted  with  the  same  sort  of  motor  as 
that  on  which  he  had  departed. 

With  the  haste  of  a  madman  I  returned  to  the  coach- 
house I  had  just  quitted.  My  hopes  fell  to  zero.  There 
was  an  unmistakable  scent  of  petrol  about  the  car.  They 
rose  again,  however,  upon  a  closer  examination,  for  I  saw 
at  once  that  the  motor  was  a  turbine,  though  petrol  was 
utilized  in  some  way  as  a  means  of  securing  the  necessary 
heat  to  secure  the  expansion  of  the  gas  for  the  starting  of 
the  engine,  though  I  could  see  that  once  started,  the  ex- 
panded hydrogen  was,  as  in  the  new  car,  ingeniously 


GONE  AWAY  233 

utilized  to  produce  the  necessary  heat.  I  was  glad  then 
that  I  had  spent  as  much  time  as  I  had  upon  examining  the 
car  upon  which  the  Pirate  had  escaped,  for  I  was  enabled 
to  see  that,  if  only  a  supply  of  the  liquid  hydrogen  were 
obtainable,  I  should  be  able  to  put  my  wild  plan  into  exe- 
cution. As  it  was,  the  tank  was  nearly  empty,  so  putting 
my  shoulder  to  the  car,  I  shoved  it  into  the  workshop 
where,  unless  Mannering  had  let  it  run  to  waste,  I  knew 
I  should  find  a  supply  of  the  hydrogen.  Thank  Heaven, 
Mannering  had  forgot  to  empty  the  receiver,  and  filling 
the  tank  and  tightly  screwing  down  the  nuts  of  the  cover- 
ing, I  wheeled  the  car  into  the  open  road.  There  I  saw 
Forrest  leaning  against  the  wall  of  the  coach-house,  a 
figure  of  inexpressible  dejection. 

"  Come  and  lend  a  hand  ! "  I  shouted. 

The  light  that  flashed  into  his  face,  as  he  realized  what 
I  would  be  at,  was  extraordinary.  He  sprang  forward  at 
once  to  my  assistance.  Now,  in  my  attempts  to  get  at 
the  machinery  of  the  car,  I  had  discovered  the  plates  with 
which  Mannering  had  been  wont  to  disguise  its  shape,  and 
it  occurred  to  me  that  they  performed  the  further  purpose 
of  diminishing  the  wind  resistance,  so  that  if  I  wanted  to 
get  the  full  speed  out  of  the  car  it  would  be  necessary 
to  fix  them  in  their  places.  I  immediately  set  to  work  to 
join  up  the  various  sections,  leaving  Forrest  to  bolt  them 
together.  We  worked  like  niggers  at  the  job,  and  it  was 
nearly  completed  when  a  curious  sound  came  down  the 
breeze.  I  looked  up,  and  to  my  surprise  I  saw  the  Pirate 
once  more  approaching. 


234  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

"  Look  ! "  I  shouted  to  Forrest  in  my  excitement, 
though  there  was  no  need  to  warn  him. 

Nearer  the  Pirate  came  ;  still  nearer.  Every  moment 
I  expected  to  see  him  pull  up  and  surrender.  But  it  was 
a  mad  hope.  He  had  not  the  slightest  intention  of  so 
obliging  us.  As  he  approached,  he  suddenly  increased 
his  pace  and  flashed  past  us  at  full  sixty  miles  an  hour. 

Forrest  fingered  a  revolver,  but  he  dared  not  shoot  for 
fear  the  bullet  should  find  the  slender  form  of  Evie,  who 
we  saw  was  huddled  close  to  his  side.  Mannering  laughed 
as  he  passed  us  and  waved  his  hand  in  derision. 

"  There  are  a  couple  of  masks  in  the  coach-home,"  I 
said  quietly  to  the  detective. 

He  darted  into  the  doorway  and  returned  a  moment 
later  with  them,  thrusting  at  the  same  time  a  bottle  into 
his  pocket.  It  took  us  no  time  to  climb  into  the  car  and 
as,  during  his  momentary  absence,  I  had  succeeded  in 
starting  the  engine,  we  were  in  a  position  to  move  at 
once. 

For  a  hundred  yards  we  travelled  at  the  speed  at  which 
we  were  accustomed  to  see  Mannering  while  using  the  car 
in  the  sight  of  men  and  in  the  light  of  day.  Then  with 
a  word  of  warning  to  my  companion,  I  pulled  at  the 
change-speed  lever.  The  effect  was  marvellous.  The 
car  seemed  to  leap  forward  and  the  hedges  suddenly  trans- 
formed themselves  into  long  green  streaks. 

A  cloud  of  dust  on  the  road  ahead  gave  the  direction 
Mannering  had  taken,  so  I  jammed  down  the  lever  to  its 
limit  and  commenced  the  pursuit.  At  any  other  time 


GONE   AWAY  235 

the  idea  of  chasing  the  Pirate  on  one  of  his  own  cars 
would  have  delighted  me  beyond  measure,  but  my  thoughts 
were  too  much  occupied  as  to  the  fate  which  might  await 
Evie  if  we  failed  to  overtake  her  abductor  to  allow  room 
for  anything  else. 

Exactly  what  speed  we  made  I  cannot  tell,  it  must 
have  been  nearer  eighty  than  sixty  miles  an  hour,  but  the 
smoothness  of  the  motion  was  wonderful,  and  I  felt  not 
the  slightest  tremor. 

Mannering  had  disappeared  on  the  Watford  road, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  we  swept  through  the  north  end 
of  the  town  and,  directed  by  a  boy  at  the  cross  roads, 
made  for  Rickmansworth.  Forrest  took  charge  of  the 
horn,  and  kept  it  braying  continuously.  We  slackened 
speed  through  Rickmansworth,  for  the  streets  were  full 
of  vehicles,  and  there  we  learned  that  the  white  car  was 
five  minutes  ahead.  Once  clear  of  the  streets  I  let  the 
car  go  again,  and  we  tore  away  towards  Uxbridge.  On 
reaching  the  main  Oxford  road  once  more  a  dust  cloud 
in  the  distance  served  as  a  guide,  and  informed  us  that 
Mannering  had  crossed  the  highway,  and  gone  away  in 
the  direction  of  Slough.  The  going  was  rough  for  a 
while,  but  I  did  not  slacken  pace,  though  the  road  was 
narrow,  and  to  have  met  a  cart  would  have  meant  certain 
destruction.  The  road  broadened  after  a  time,  and  I 
fancied  we  were  gaining,  for  the  dust  cloud  seemed 
nearer.  We  skirted  Slough  to  the  east,  the  guiding 
cloud  bearing  towards  Dachet.  Darting  through  that 
little  riverside  town  at  a  pace  which  set  the  police  whistles 


236  THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

blowing  behind  us,  we  came  to  the  bridge  across  the 
Thames,  and  here  we  were  informed  that  our  quarry 
was  barely  a  minute  ahead,  and  running  in  the  direction 
of  Egham.  A  mile  further  on,  at  a  straight  piece  of 
road,  we  first  sighted  the  fugitives,  and  a  cry  of  triumph 
escaped  my  lips.  It  was  a  little  premature,  however. 
Once  again  the  silver  car  turned  into  a  bye-road  so 
winding  that  I  was  compelled,  much  against  my  will, 
to  slacken  speed.  Then  once  more  we  came  out  upon 
a  main  road,  to  find  our  quarry  not  more  than  a  hundred 
yards  away  as  we  swept  out  into  the  broad  highway. 

And  here,  looking  back,  Manner  ing  for  the  first  time 
learned  that  we  were  on  his  track.  At  that  moment, 
too,  commenced  a  race  which,  I  venture  to  think,  will 
not  soon  be  equalled  in  the  history  of  the  motor  world. 
At  all  events,  I  trust  it  will  never  be  my  lot  to  take  part 
in  any  similar  trial  of  speed,  at  least,  with  such  issues 
depending  upon  the  result.  Upon  emerging  from  the 
bye-road  we  were  a  mile  from  Egham,  and  knowing 
the  road,  I  asked  Forrest  to  glance  at  his  watch.  The 
way  was  clear  before  us,  and  three  minutes  and  a  quarter 
later,  we  flashed  through  the  railway  arch  at  Sunningdale 
railway-station,  four  miles  from  the  point  where  the 
timing  commenced.  But  fast  as  we  had  travelled, 
Mannering  travelled  faster.  When  we  reached  Bagshot 
we  learned  he  was  half  a  minute  ahead. 

We  flew  through  the  lovely  pine  country  on  the 
wings  of  the  wind,  through  Hook,  and  so  into  Basing- 
stoke.  By  this  time  we  were  covered  from  head  to  foot 


GONE   AWAY  237 

with  white  dust,  looking  more  like  working  masons  than 
anything  else ;  but  wherever  we  went,  I  knew  Forrest 
had  the  power  to  make  the  way  easy.  If  he  had  been 
anybody  else  but  a  detective  from  Scotland  Yard,  we 
should  never  have  got  through  Basingstoke,  for  there  the 
police,  warned  in  some  manner  of  our  approach,  had 
drawn  a  huge  waggon  across  the  road,  thus  completely 
barring  our  progress.  It  was  soon  drawn  aside  when 
Forrest  produced  his  badge,  and  once  more  we  flew 
westwards.  So  through  Whitchurch  and  Andovcr. 

How  we  succeeded  in  escaping  accidents  I  cannot 
explain.  Providence  seemed  to  watch  over  both  pursuers 
and  pursued.  We  were  always  on  the  verge  of  a  collision 
with  somebody  or  something.  Cottages,  carts,  pedestrians, 
cyclists,  seemed  to  be  flying  by  in  a  never-ending  pro- 
cession. Yet  we  touched  nothing. 

Once  past  Andover  the  road  became  clearer,  for 
instead  of  turning  towards  Salisbury,  as  I  expected,  the 
Pirate  chose  the  road  through  Amesbury  and  Stonehenge. 
We  swept  over  Salisbury  Plain  at  a  magnificent  pace, 
but  we  did  not  catch  sight  of  the  fugitives,  though  now 
and  again  a  glimpse  of  a  distant  dust  cloud  raised  my 
hopes  momentarily.  At  Wincanton  we  learned  we  were 
three  minutes  behind,  and  setting  my  teeth,  I  determined 
I  would  not  slacken  speed  again  until  we  overtook  the 
fugitives  or  reached  Exeter.  The  road  was  admirable 
hereabouts,  and  we  ran  so  steadily  that,  but  for  the 
hedges  flying  past,  we  might  have  been  sitting  in 
armchairs.  After  Ilminster  the  road  became  steeper, 


238  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

though  it  was  yet  too  early  in  the  year  to  be  very 
rough. 

But  how  is  it  possible  to  describe  a  journey  at  the 
pace  we  were  making  ?  Our  progress  became  dream-like 
to  me.  It  was  almost  monotonous.  One  could  observe 
so  little,  just  an  incident  here  and  there  to  mark  the 
stages  in  the  journey.  Thus  I  remember  Honiton  by 
the  frightened  scream  of  a  cur  which  was  swept  off  its 
feet  by  the  rush  of  the  air  as  we  passed  close  at  his  tail. 
Then  nothing  of  note  until  we  reached  Exeter. 

At  the  cathedral  city  we  were  told  the  white  car  was 
only  a  minute  in  advance.  I  began  to  wonder  where 
the  chase  was  going  to  end,  for  Mannering  was  still 
going  westward  without  pause.  Still  we  followed.  Out 
on  to  the  Launceston  road  ;  onward,  ever  onward  until 
the  bare  hills  of  Dartmoor  frowned  upon  us,  and  we  had 
to  slacken  slightly  for  the  long  upward  grind.  Fortu- 
nately the  hills  were  free  from  mist,  and  on  reaching 
the  summit  of  Whiddon  Down  we  caught  once  more 
a  glimpse  of  the  white  car  before  it  disappeared  in  the 
distance.  I  was  getting  reckless,  and  I  took  the  descent 
at  a  pace  which  blanched  even  Forrest's  cheek.  Then 
through  a  streak  of  white  houses,  which  I  fancied  must 
be  Okehampton.  There  was  no  need  to  inquire  the 
way.  At  the  pace  both  cars  were  travelling  there  was 
only  one  road  which  would  serve  either  Mannering  or 
myself.  In  fifteen  minutes  Launceston  came  into  view. 
Then  up  again  until  from  the  top  of  Bodmin  moor  we 
caught  fleeting  glimpses  of  the  sea  on  either  side  of  us. 


GONE  AWAY  239 

On  still  without  pause,  through  Redruth  and  Camborne 
and  Hayle.  Finally  a  sight  of  them  at  last,  as  we  opened 
up  St.  Michael's  Bay  as  we  came  to  Marazion.  And 
here  I  thought  the  chase  had  come  to  an  end,  1  was 
mistaken. 


CHAPTER   XXIII 


SAVED 


MY  brain  reeled  as  we  rushed  along  the  road  into 
Penzance.  My  forehead  seemed  to  be  encircled  with 
a  band  of  steel.  My  mouth  was  so  parched  that  my 
tongue  rattled  against  my  palate  as  I  tried  to  speak  to 
Forrest.  My  fingers  were  so  cramped  with  the  grip  on 
the  steering  wheel,  a  grip  which  had  never  once  been 
relaxed  during  our  five  hours'  run,  that  I  could  not 
relinquish  my  hold.  The  road  became  dark,  and  in- 
voluntarily I  cut  off  the  supply  of  the  gas  to  the  motor 
and  brought  the  car  to  a  standstill. 

"  Go  on,  mani     Go  on !"  shouted  Forrest  in  my  ear. 

I  could  only  gasp  for  answer.     I  felt  suddenly  sick. 

Then  Forrest  gave  proof  of  his  ready  common  sense. 
He  thrust  his  hand  into  his  pocket  and  produced  the 
bottle  of  champagne  which  had  been  left  over  from  our 
lunch,  and  which  he  had  thoughtfully  brought  with  him 
in  view  of  some  such  eventuality  as  this.  Tearing  off 
the  wire  he  cut  the  string.  The  cork  flew  out  and  the 
liquor  creamed  from  the  neck  of  the  bottle.  Pushing  up 
my  mask  with  one  hand  he  held  the  bottle  to  my  lips 
with  the  other. 

340 


SAVED  241 

I  spluttered.  I  choked.  But  I  drank  and  I  drank 
again.  Never  surely  was  champagne  more  grateful  or 
more  useful.  My  strength  returned  to  me  instantaneously. 
My  brain  cleared.  My  eyes  saw.  My  hope  returned. 
I  drew  a  deep  sigh  of  relief.  Forrest  handed  me  the 
bottle  again. 

"  After  you,"  I  said. 

He  took  a  drink  and  then  remarked  authoritatively, 
"  Finish  the  bottle." 

I  obeyed  and,,  draining  it,  tossed  it  into  the  hedge 
and  once  more  set  the  car  in  motion.  If  our  progress 
had  been  speedy  before,  when  we  were  once  through 
Penzance,  it  became  absolutely  reckless. 

My  brain  was  dancing  from  the  effect  of  the 
champagne,  and  a  wild  exhilaration  throbbed  in  every 
artery.  The  pace  was  tremendous,  and  we  had  not  left 
Penzance  a  couple  of  miles  behind  us  before  the  fugitives 
came  once  more  into  view.  Now  for  the  first  time  I 
could  see  that  we  were  holding  our  own  in  the  race.  It 
may  have  been  that  some  bearing  had  become  heated  in 
the  car  Mannering  was  driving,  for  undoubtedly  his  new 
car  was  more  speedy  than  the  old,  but  it  was  clear  that 
he  could  no  longer  leave  us  as  he  had  been  able  to  do  in 
the  earlier  part  of  the  chase.  If  only  I  could  increase 
ever  so  slightly  the  speed  of  my  car,  I  felt  confident  of 
overtaking  him.  I  motioned  to  Forrest  to  bend  towards 
me,  and  when  his  ear  was  level  with  my  mouth,  I  asked 
him  to  throw  everything  which  could  be  got  rid  of 
overboard,  in  order  to  lighten  the  car.  He  took  my 

ft 


242  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

meaning  at  once,  and  away  went  the  cushions  and 
rugs.  The  difference  was  slight,  but  still  there  was 
a  perceptible  difference.  At  the  pace  we  were  now 
travelling  the  car  rocked  from  side  to  side  of  the  road, 
and  Forrest  had  to  brace  himself  stiffly  against  the  foot- 
board to  prevent  himself  being  thrown  out.  But  we 
were  gaining  foot  by  foot  on  the  fugitives.  I  felt  a  thrill 
of  delight  when,  on  reaching  the  brow  of  a  hill,  I  saw  the 
white  car  only  two  hundred  yards  ahead,  and  reckoned 
that  in  a  couples  of  minutes  we  should  have  overtaken 
them. 

But  one  thing  I  had  overlooked.  I  became  conscious 
that  we  should  soon  be  at  the  end  of  our  journey,  for 
suddenly  I  saw  the  sea  on  the  horizon.  I  knew  now 
where  we  were,  knew  that  the  end  was  in  sight.  For 
Mannering  there  could  be  no  return,  and  I  shouted  aloud 
with  exultation  when  I  realized  it.  We  drew  closer  to 
him,  so  close  that  I  fancied  I  could  see  his  eyes  glittering 
through  the  mica  plate  of  his  mask  as  he  turned  to  look 
at  us. 

A  sudden  horror  gripped  me  by  the  throat.  He 
surely  must  know  as  well  as  myself  that  he  was  near  the 
spot  where  all  roads  ended  j  that  we  were  barely  a  mile 
or  two  from  Land's  End.  What  if  he  intended  to  end 
his  life  and  his  journey  together?  And  what  if,  not 
content  with  destroying  himself,  he  were  to  carry  with 
him  to  destruction  the  girl  who  rode  beside  him  on  his 
car? 

We  reached  within  twenty  yards  of  him,  and  then  as 


SAVED  243 

if  in  answer  to  my  thought,  I  heard  him  emit  a  screech 
of  laughter  as  his  car  suddenly  shot  away  from  us,  and  in 
half  a  minute  placed  him  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
ahead.  The  bitterness  of  that  moment,  as  my  hope  died 
within  me,  I  can  never  forget.  I  only  continued  the 
pursuit  mechanically. 

We  thundered  through  Sennen  without  pause  and 
so  onward  until  we  opened  up  the  hotel  and  the  stretch 
of  green  on  the  brow  of  the  cliff.  Then  I  could  have 
shrieked  with  delight.  The  white  car  was  standing  still 
and  Mannering  had  left  his  seat  and  was  standing  by  the 
side.  Ten  seconds  would  have  brought  us  to  him.  Five 
passed.  He  leaped  again  to  his  seat,  and  as  he  did  so, 
the  white  robed  figure  sprang  from  the  car  to  the  turf. 
The  Pirate  gave  a  cry  of  baffled  rage.  But  he  had  no 
time  to  waste  in  recovering  his  escaping  victim,  for  we 
were  within  fifty  yards  of  him.  His  car  leaped  forward 
and,  leaving  the  road,  tossed  like  a  boat  at  sea  over  the 
uneven  boulder-strewn  turf.  We  were  within  five  yards 
of  him,  and  it  was  as  much  as  we  could  manage  to  do  to 
keep  our  seats. 

Just  in  time  I  realized  the  danger  into  which  we 
were  being  unwittingly  drawn,  and  reversing  the  gear,  I 
put  on  both  breaks.  I  was  in  time,  but  only  just  in 
time,  for  we  were  on  a  treacherous  grassy  slope  and  in 
spite  of  the  breaks  our  car  continued  to  glide  forward 
under  the  impulse  of  the  velocity  it  had  attained. 

w  Jump  for  your  life  ! "  shouted  Forrest. 

I  had  wit  enough  to  obey  without  hesitation. 


244  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

As  I  leaped,  my  eyes  were  fixed  upon  Mannering 
who  at  that  moment  had  reached  the  very  edge  of  the 
cliff.  I  saw  him  disappear,  and  then  I  rolled  over  on  the 
turf.  I  was  unhurt,  and  gathering  myself  together,  I 
regained  my  feet  just  as  the  car  which  had  carried  us  so 
well  followed  the  maker  over  the  cliff.  A  dozen  paces 
took  me  to  the  spot.  I  shuddered  as  I  glanced  down- 
wards and  saw  the  fate  I  had  escaped.  Two  or  three 
hundred  feet  below  the  tide  was  boiling  over  the  jagged 
rocks.  I  fancied  I  could  discern  a  few  fragments  of  the 
white  car  and  that  was  all. 

Not  ten  seconds  before  I  had  seen  Mannering  wave 
his  hand  at  us  mockingly  as  he  rode  to  his  death,  and 
I  guessed  that  his  intention  had  been  to  lure  us  on  to 
a  common  destruction.  Once  again  he  had  disappeared, 
but  now  I  knew  it  was  for  all  time. 

A  strange  calm  came  upon  me.  Straight  in  front  of 
us  the  Longships  lighthouse  made  a  pillar  of  black  marble 
against  the  huge  red  disc  of  the  setting  sun.  In  the  far 
distance  the  Cassiterides  floated  cloud-like  on  the  horizon. 
I  gulped  down  a  sob  of  thankfulness,  for  the  memory 
came  upon  me  that  the  one  whom  I  loved  had  been 
saved  by  the  merest  chance  from  sharing  the  fate  of  the 
madman  who  had  so  unhesitatingly  rushed  upon  his 
doom. 

I  felt  a  tap  on  my  shoulder.     It  was  Forrest. 

"  Our  work  is  done,"  he  said,  and  with  an  impatient 
sigh,  he  took  from  his  pocket  the  useless  handcuffs  and 
hurled  them  after  the  cars.  "  One  thing  we  have  to  be 


SAVED  245 

thankful  for,"  he  continued,  "  thank  God,  Miss  Maitland 
is  safe." 

For  reply,  I  could  only  grasp  his  hands  and  wring 
them  silently.  As  I  did  so,  I  became  conscious  that  a 
number  of  excited  people  had  gathered  about  us. 

u  Where — where  is  she  ? "  I  gasped. 

Some  one  pointed  to  the  hotel  a  hundred  yards  or  to 
distant,  and  Forrest  and  I  hurried  towards  it.  I  was  a 
prey  to  the  most  horrible  anxiety.  I  dreaded  to  con- 
template what  the  result  upon  the  mind  of  my  darling 
might  be.  I  had  nearly  reached  the  hotel  door,  when  1 
saw  a  slight  figure  step  across  the  threshold  and  shade  her 
eyes  with  her  hand.  With  a  cry  of  delight  I  sprang 
forward. 

The  next  moment  Evie  was  in  my  arms. 
*  »  *  *  • 

That  is  the  story  of  the  Motor  Pirate.  There  re- 
main but  a  few  things  to  say.  And  first  of  them,  let 
me  explain  how  it  happened  that  Evie  managed  to  fall 
into  the  Pirate's  clutches. 

I  told  her  later  that  it  was  owing  to  feminine  curiosity. 
She,  on  the  other  hand,  declares  it  was  entirely  owing  to 
her  anxiety  on  my  account.  Whichever  was  the  reason, 
the  moment  she  had  heard  Mannering's  car  approach, 
she  had  gone  to  the  garden-gate,  whence  she  was  able 
to  command  a  view  of  the  coach-house  door.  She  had 
seen  the  man  Laver  rush  forward  at  the  sound  of  the 
whistle.  Then  the  pistol  shot  rang  out,  and  the  next 
moment  Mannering  had  appeared  on  the  new  car.  He 


246  THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

had  seen  her,  and  she  had  attempted  to  fly  to  the  house, 
but  he  had  overtaken  her  and  carried  her  off.  Once  on 
the  car  he  had  proceeded  a  short  distance  on  the  St. 
Alban's  road,  and  then  stopped  to  speak  to  her,  for  the 
first  and  only  time  on  that  day. 

"I  am  going  to  take  you  for  a  ride  with  me,  Miss 
Maitland,"  he  had  observed.  "I  merely  wish  to  warn 
you  before  we  start,  that  at  the  pace  we  shall  travel,  you 
will  find  any  attempt  to  escape  exceedingly  dangerous." 

It  was  then  from  his  manner  and  appearance  she  had 
realized  that  she  was  in  the  power  of  a  madman. 

As  regards  the  ride,  she  could  tell  me  very  little.  The 
pace  was  so  great  that,  being  unprovided  with  a  mask, 
she  was  obliged  to  crouch  down  on  the  seat  and  cover 
her  face  with  a  rug  as  a  protection  against  the  dust.  It 
seemed  an  interminable  time,  she  said,  and  the  moment 
the  car  stopped  she  made  an  attempt  to  regain  her 
liberty,  without  knowing  how  near  she  was  to  destruction 
at  the  time  she  made  it. 

Fortunately  the  strain  had  been  much  less  than  I 
expected,  so  far  as  Evie  was  concerned,  and  much  more 
than  I  anticipated,  was  its  effect  upon  myself.  It  was  a 
long  time  before  I  completely  recovered  from  the  effects 
of  those  three  adventurous  days.  And  the  worst  of  it 
was,  that  everything  combined  to  prevent  me  obtaining 
the  absolute  quiet  which  I  needed.  After  spending  a 
night  at  the  hotel  I,  of  course,  hastened  to  take  train  to 
London  in  order  to  restore  Evie  to  her  father.  But  when 
I  arrived  at  my  place  at  St.  Albans,  I  found  a  veritable 


SAVED  247 

army  of  pressmen  encamped  on  my  doorstep.  They 
would  not  give  me  a  moment's  peace.  I  was  compelled 
to  remain  in  bed,  and  upon  sending  a  message  over  to 
Evie  to  inform  her  of  my  predicament,  she  informed  me 
that  she  was  similarly  besieged. 

We  exchanged  a  dozen  notes.  I  rose  when  it  wag 
dark,  and  slipped  out  of  my  back  door.  I  could  only  see 
one  method  of  securing  quiet.  Even  a  hardened  press- 
man has  a  dislike  to  intrude  upon  the  privacy  of  a  newly 
married  couple,  so  the  next  morning  Evie  and  Colonel 
Maitland  joined  me  in  town,  and  we  were  married  by 
special  license  and,  without  returning  to  St.  Albans,  we 
started  for  my  home  in  Norfolk. 

So  much  for  myself. 

Forrest  was  for  a  long  time  inconsolable  at  the  final 
escape  of  the  Pirate  from  the  hands  of  justice.  So  was 
his  subordinate,  Laver,  whose  sentiments  on  the  subject 
are  quite  too  lurid  for  publication. 

As  for  Mannering,  no  trace  of  his  body  was  ever 
found,  though  I  have  since  heard  that  certain  portions  of 
the  cars  have  been  fished  up  from  the  pools  amongst  the 
rocks  at  the  base  of  the  cliffs  at  low  tide.  At  present, 
however,  there  has  not  been  sufficient  of  the  machinery 
recovered  to  enable  any  one  to  construct  a  similar  motor. 
He  had  apparently  made  no  drawings,  or  else  had 
destroyed  them  when  they  had  served  his  turn,  so  it 
would  seem  as  if  the  secret  of  the  singularly  speedy  motor 
he  invented  is  destined  to  be  lost  to  the  world.  Still,  it 
may  be  that  sufficient  will  be  recovered  to  give  some 


248  THE   MOTOR  PIRATE 

skilled  mechanician  sufficient  guidance  to  enable  him  to 
reproduce  the  lost  pirate  car.  If  not,  well,  I  don't 
suppose  it  matters.  Some  one  else  will  be  sure  to  invent 
something  similar.  In  fact,  from  the  hints  Mannering 
gave  me,  and  owing  to  the  opportunity  I  had  of  examining 
the  car  in  his  workshop,  I  think  it  is  not  unlikely  tha! 
I  shall  shortly  be  applying  for  letters  patent  my  self. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

REVELATIONS 

THERE  remains  only  one  thing  more.  I  feel  that  the  story 
would  be  incomplete  if  I  kept  to  myself  certain  particulars 
concerning  Mannering,  which  have  come  to  my  knowledge 
since  the  day  when  he  made  his  sensational  flight  into 
eternity  from  the  brow  of  the  cliff  at  Land's  End.  At 
the  time,  both  my  wife  and  myself  wished  never  to  hear 
again  the  name  of  the  man  whose  actions  had  provided 
us  with  such  terrible  and  nerve-shattering  experiences, 
but  afterwards,  when  we  came  to  think  over  the  matter, 
it  occurred  to  both  of  us  that  in  fact  we  knew  very  little 
about  the  man  who  had  nearly  wrecked  our  lives.  To 
dwell  upon  that  thought  naturally  awakened  our  curiosity 
concerning  his  past  life,  and,  needless  to  say,  when  the 
opportunity  occurred  for  gratifying  our  curiosity,  we  did 
not  for  a  moment  hesitate  about  accepting  it.  It  is  true 
that  we  had  gathered  from  his  conversation  that  he  had 
travelled  widely,  but  in  what  capacity,  or  with  what 
object,  we  knew  as  little  as  we  knew  of  his  birthplace  or 
parentage.  We  found,  too,  a  difficulty  in  understanding 
the  motives  which  had  prompted  Mannering's  actions, 
and,  though  we  often  discussed  the  question,  we  could 

249 


250          THE    MOTOR   PIRATE 

never  of  ourselves  have  arrived  at  a  satisfactory  solution 
of  the  problem. 

On  this  latter  point  I  must  mention  the  conclusion 
arrived  at  by  The  Speaker.  This  sober-minded  and  ex- 
tremely British  review  declared  that  his  animating  motive 
was  "  the  strong  rock  of  equity,  or  abstract  justice,"  inas- 
much as,  by  principally  directing  his  attention  to  motor- 
ists, he  was  avenging  The  Speaker  s  quarrel  with  a  class 
which  this  journal  held  in  particular  abhorrence.  Natu- 
rally, both  Evie  and  myself  smiled  at  the  thought  that  the 
Motor  Pirate  was  a  conservative  gentleman,  anxious  only 
to  restore  to  the  highways  of  England  something  of  their 
pristine  calm.  For  myself,  I  inclined  to  the  belief  that  he 
was  a  remarkable  specimen  of  the  megalomaniac,  whose 
exploits  were  prompted  much  more  by  the  desire  for 
notoriety  than  by  any  altruistic  motive,  or  even  by  any 
sordid  consideration  regarding  the  plunder  which  he 
secured.  Certainly  had  he  been  a  mere  criminal,  impelled 
by  the  desire  for  the  easy  acquisition  of  wealth,  he  could 
have  pursued  his  career  for  a  much  longer  period  than  he 
actually  did.  As  for  my  wife,  with  a  woman's  natural 
tendency  to  read  a  romance  into  any  and  every  development 
of  human  activity,  she  held  fast  to  the  opinion  that  the 
Pirate's  extraordinary  career  was  the  outcome  of  an  over- 
mastering passion  for  herself.  The  probability  is,  that  in 
his  brain  all  these  motives  operated  at  different  times. 
The  natural  love  of  plunder,  inherent  in  the  criminal 
mind,  is  as  often  as  not  accompanied  by  a  morbid  delight 
in  awakening  the  wonder  of  the  public  by  the  performance 


REVELATIONS  251 

of  startling  deeds  and,  in  the  same  temperament,  it  is  not 
unusual  to  discover  the  romantic  nature  developed  to  a 
considerable  degree.  But,  from  the  data  at  our  command, 
I  fancy  it  would  have  been  impossible  even  for  the  ex- 
perienced psychologist  to  decide  which,  so  to  speak,  was 
the  master  impulse. 

Perhaps,  however,  the  few  facts  concerning  him,  which 
came  into  our  possession  afterwards,  tend  to  clear  up  these 
points  to  some  degree.  Certainly  they  left  me  with  a 
clearer  light  upon  his  individuality. 

To  these  facts  I  am  indebted  to  Inspector  Forrest,  who, 
some  six  months  after  our  famous  ride  together  in  pur- 
suit of  the  pirate,  managed  to  find  time  to  pay  a  flying 
visit  to  our  Norfolk  home,  where  we  had  continued  to 
dwell  in  peaceful  seclusion. 

It  was  at  dinner,  on  the  night  of  his  arrival,  that  For- 
rest first  hinted  that  he  had  picked  up  some  details  of 
Mannering's  life-history,  and  of  course  nothing  would 
content  Evie  but  a  promise  that  we  should  hear  what  he 
had  discovered.  So,  directly  the  meal  was  finished,  we 
adjourned  for  our  coffee  and  cigars  to  my  sanctum,  where, 
in  front  of  a  comfortable  fire,  Forrest  made  no  difficulty 
about  satisfying  our  curiosity. 

"  You  see,"  he  began,  when  his  cigar  was  once  well 
alight,  "  I  was  every  bit  as  curious  as  Mrs.  Sutgrove." 

"  Or  myself,"  I  interrupted. 

"  Or  Mr.  Sutgrove,"  said  the  detective,  smiling,  "  for 
there  is  precious  little  difference  between  the  sexes  so  far 
as  curiosity  is  concerned,  in  spite  of  the  generally  accepted 


252  THE    MOTOR    PIRATE 

opinion  on  the  matter.  But  being  curious,  I  naturally 
made  the  most  minute  search  when  I  searched  his  place 
at  St.  Alban's.  I  didn't  find  much  there,  it  is  true,  but 
I  did  secure  a  clue  which  ultimately  led  me  to  some  lodg- 
ings which  he  had  occupied  some  three  or  four  years 
previously,  and  there,  by  the  merest  good  luck,  I  dis- 
covered that  when  he  had  departed  he  had  left  behind  him 
a  worn-out  travelling-bag,  and  in  that  bag  was  a  bundle 
of  papers  which  supplied  me  with  sufficient  information 
to  reconstruct  his  history  to  some  extent,  though  I  should 
not  like  to  swear  to  the  absolute  accuracy  of  every  detail 
of  his  biography  as  I  see  it." 

"  Was  there  nothing  at  all  found  at  St.  Alban's  then  ?  ' 
asked  Evie. 

"  I  fancy  you  must  have  seen  in  the  papers  a  pretty  full 
account  of  all  that  the  police  discovered  there?  "  said  the 
detective. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Evie.  "  We  read  a  lot  of  stories,  but 
they  varied  to  such  an  extent  that  we  really  did  not  know 
what  to  believe." 

Forrest  smiled.  "  Now  I  come  to  think  of  it,  the  re- 
porters did  give  their  imaginations  free  reins,  but  you 
can  take  it  from  me  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  plunder 
he  amassed  after  his  return  from  that  Continental  trip, 
and  the  apparatus  for  the  production  of  the  liquid  hydro- 
gen, there  was  very  little  in  his  house  of  interest  to  me 
or  you.  There  was  his  bank-book,  and  some  correspond- 
ence with  a  learned  professor  at  the  Royal  Institution. 
I  followed  up  both  clues.  At  the  R.  I.  I  discovered  noth- 


REVELATIONS  253 

ing.  Mannering  had  merely  posed  as  a  wealthy  amateur 
in  chemistry,  and  of  course  he  met  with  every  assistance 
when  he  had  asked  for  help  in  following  up  his  researches 
into  the  behaviour  of  liquid  gases.  At  his  bank  also,  very 
little  was  known  about  him.  When  he  had  come  to  St. 
Alban's  he  had  opened  an  account  by  a  payment  into  it 
of  six  or  seven  thousand  pounds  in  Bank  of  England  notes. 
He  had  drawn  steadily  upon  the  account  until  it  was 
nearly  exhausted,  and,  in  point  of  fact,  there  was  only  a 
few  pounds  to  his  credit  from  the  time  when  he  com- 
menced his  career  on  the  road,  until  a  week  or  two  after 
his  return  from  Amsterdam,  when  he  paid  in  two  thousand 
pounds  in  gold,  and  a  fortnight  later  swelled  his  balance 
with  a  similar  amount." 

"  That  was  the  proceeds  of  the  Brighton  mail  robbery," 
I  remarked. 

Forrest  nodded.  "  That  was  his  only  really  big  coup. 
As  for  his  other  plunder,  he  probably  disposed  of  the 
proceeds  of  all  his  early  cruises  on  the  Continent,  at  the 
same  time  that  he  sold  the  diamonds.  That  which  he 
obtained  afterwards  was  found  intact  in  the  safe  in  his 
bedroom.  Heavens!  What  an  opportunity  I  missed  by 
not  taking  out  a  search-warrant  for  his  house.  When  we 
paid  our  midnight  visit,  there  must  have  been  ample  evi- 
dence-behind the  steel  door  to  have  convicted  him." 

The  detective  was  silent  for  awhile,  and  bit  savagely 
at  his  cigar. 

"  He  was  not  a  wealthy  man,  then,"  I  remarked. 

"No,"  replied  Forrest.    "There  was  no  trace  of  his 


254          THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

owning  any  property  anywhere,  and  his  expenditure  on 
the  gas  plant  and  on  his  motors  —  we  found  that  the 
various  parts  had  been  made  to  specification  at  a  variety 
of  works  in  England  and  abroad  —  had  eaten  heavily  into 
his  capital,  so  that  at  the  time  of  the  commencement  of  his 
career  he  must  have  been  very  nearly  penniless.  Whether 
he  built  the  motor  with  the  idea  of  utilizing  it  for  the 
purpose  he  ultimately  put  it  to,  of  course  I  cannot  say, 
but  I  have  a  shrewd  suspicion  that  he  really  did  design 
it  for,  the  purpose,  since  from  what  I  have  learned  of 
him  the  predatory  instinct  <must  have  been  pretty  strongly 
developed  in  him." 

The  detective  paused  for  a  minute,  and,  flicking  the  ash 
off  his  cigar,  gazed  meditatively  into  the  fire. 

"  You  shall  judge  for  yourselves,"  he  continued.  "  Un- 
fortunately, I  cannot  begin  right  at  the  beginning,  for  I 
do  not  know  where  he  was  born,  nor  who  his  parents 
were.  I  can  only  guess  at  these  facts  from  the  knowledge 
that,  as  a  boy,  he  was  at  school  in  the  south  of  England, 
and  that  then  his  name  was  Ram  Krishna  Roy." 

"  What?  "    I  asked,  in  amazement.    "  A  Hindu?  " 

"  An  Eurasian,  I  should  fancy,"  replied  Forrest.  "  He 
had  been  sent  to  school  in  England  by  one  of  those  petty 
Indian  princes,  who  still  exercise  sovereignty  under 
British  suzerainty." 

"  How  did  you  discover  that  ?  "  asked  Evie. 

"  It  was  like  this,  Mrs.  Sutgrove,"  replied  Forrest. 
"Amongst  the  papers  I  spoke  about  as  being  in  the  old 
portmanteau,  were  a  number  of  letters  written  in  char- 


REVELATIONS  255 

acters  I  could  not  understand.  I  could  see  they  were 
oriental,  and  that  was  as  much  as  I  could  make  of  them, 
so  I  took  them  to  a  noted  oriental  scholar  who  translated 
them  for  me.  The  language  was  Urdu,  and  the  writer 
was  a  munshi,  who  was  obviously  communicating  with 
an  old  pupil.  There  were  so  many  references  to  scenes 
with  which  the  person  to  whom  the  letters  were  addressed, 
as  well  as  the  writer,  was  familiar,  that  it  was  quite  clear 
that  the  former  must  have  been  brought  up  amidst  purely 
native  surroundings.  There  were  one  or  two  more  ob- 
scure allusions  which  led  me  to  conclude  that  the  boy's 
mother  must  have  been  a  white  woman,  and  from  what  we 
saw  of  him  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  he  was  white 
on  one  side." 

"  Nobody  would  have  taken  him  to  be  aught  but  an 
Englishman,"  murmured  Evie. 

"  No,"  said  Forrest.  "  I  was  intensely  surprised  when 
I  discovered  these  proofs  of  his  identity  and  at  first  I 
thought  they  could  not  apply  to  him,  but  before  I  come 
to  the  connecting  link,  let  me  mention  one  curious  thing 
in  the  letters,  which  may  do  something  to  explain  the 
curious  influence  which  Mannering  exerted  over  Mrs. 
Sutgrove." 

"  He  hypnotized  me,  I  am  sure,"  declared  Evie, 
decidedly. 

"  Very  possibly,"  replied  the  detective.  "  In  nearly 
every  letter  was  to  be  found  an  admonition  to  the  effect 
—  I  cannot  give  you  a  verbatim  translation  —  that  the 
writer  hoped  his  old  pupil  would  not  forget  that  to  him 


256          THE   MOTOR   PIRATE 

was  entrusted  the  secret  power  of  Siva,  which  would,  by 
practice,  enable  him  to  mould  all  men  19  his  will." 

"  If  he  had  possessed  that,"  I  interrupted,  "  there  would 
have  been  no  necessity  for  him  to  have  practised  piracy 
on  the  highroad." 

"  True,"  said  Forrest.  "  But  it  is  quite  possible  that 
Mrs.  Sutgrove's  conjecture  is  correct,  and  that  even  at 
that  early  age  Mannering  had  learnt  something  about 
hypnotism  from  his  native  instructor,  for  I  am  very  cer- 
tain that  of  these  semi-occult  sciences,  the  East  has  much 
more  precise  knowledge  than  is  realized  by  the  Western 
world." 

"  Very  likely,"  said  my  wife,  shuddering  slightly  at  the 
remembrance.  "  He  certainly  had  a  most  singular  power 
over  me." 

"  He  probably  increased  his  knowledge  when  he  re- 
turned to  his  native  land,  which,  I  gathered,  must  have 
taken  place  when  he  was  about  seventeen.  Then  there 
is  a  break  for  nearly  ten  years  in  his  history." 

"  I  don't  quite  see  how  you  connect  Ram  Krishna  Roy 
with  Mannering,"  I  interpolated. 

"  I'm  coming  to  that,"  replied  Forrest.  "  With  these 
letters  was  another  in  its  original  envelope  addressed  in 
the  same  hand  to  Julian  Mannering  at  San  Francisco. 
It  was  the  most  interesting  letter  of  the  lot.  It  was  full 
of  reproaches  addressed  to  the  dear  pupil,  who  had  cut 
himself  off  from  the  asceticism  of  the  East,  and  devoted 
himself  to  the  gross  materialism  of  Western  civilization. 
It  concluded  by  the  expression  of  an  intention  to  once  more 


REVELATIONS  257 

attempt  to  persuade  him  to  return  by  a  personal  appeal. 
On  the  back  of  the  letter  was  a  note  in  Mannering's  hand- 
writing. '  Old  Chatter ji  kept  his  promise.  I  had  quite 
a  long  conversation  with  him  in  the  ballroom  last  night. 
Everybody  thought  I  was  drunk  or  mad  to  be  talking 
Hindustani,  apparently  to  empty  air.  However,  that's  the 
last  of  him.  I've  done  with  the  East.'  ". 

"  You  make  him  more  a  man  of  mystery  than  ever,"  I 
exclaimed. 

"  I  can't  help  it,"  said  Forrest.  "  Perhaps  his  old  tutor 
really  did  appear  to  him.  Perhaps  Mannering  was  mad. 
Who  knows?  Both  are  dead.  However,  he  seems  to 
have  carried  out  his  intention  of  not  returning  to  India. 
Ram  Krishna  Roy  disappeared  from  that  time  forth,  and 
Julian  Mannering  took  his  place.  He  seems  to  have  been 
doing  nothing  at  San  Francisco  at  the  time,  but  a  little 
later  he  appears  to  have  accepted  an  appointment  as 
engineer  to  a  mine  in  Arizona.  He  left  the  berth  sud- 
denly a  few  months  later,  owing  to  some  trouble  about 
the  wife  of  one  of  the  miners.  The  miner  was  shot,  and 
his  comrades  were  so  incensed  that  Mannering  had  to 
depart  hot-foot.  Then  for  awhile  I  can  only  guess  at  his 
occupation  from  some  newspaper  cuttings  which  he  had 
preserved.  These  point  to  his  identification  with  the 
leader  of  a  gang  of  desperadoes  whose  most  notable 
exploit  was  the  successful  holding  up  of  a  train  which  had 
a  considerable  quantity  of  specie  on  board." 

"  I  remember  him  describing  the  affair,"  said  Evie, 


258          THE    MOTOR    PIRATE 

"  though  he  represented  himself  as  on  the  side  of  the 
attacked." 

"  The  only  assistance  he  gave  to  the  plundered  was  to 
assist  them  to  a  better  land  by  the  aid  of  his  gun.  He 
escaped,  though,  and  made  his  way  to  Australia,  and 
once  again  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession,  — 
mining  engineering.  For  three  or  four  years  he  was  en- 
gaged at  a  newly-opened  mine  in  the  northern  territory 
of  West  Australia.  But  instinct  was  too  strong  for  him. 
He  must  really  have  had  a  strong  dash  of  the  blood  of 
some  of  those  Indian  hill-tribe  freebooters  in  his  veins, 
for  he  never  seems  to  have  been  able  to  resist  the  prospect 
of  plunder,  and  the  likelihood  of  having  to  fight  for  it 
seems  to  have  been  an  additional  inducement.  Thus,  at 
the  mine,  under  his  charge,  it  was  the  custom  to  send, 
periodically,  the  gold  extracted,  under  a  strong  escort, 
to  the  nearest  town,  some  forty  miles  distant.  For  a  long 
time  these  consignments  were  delivered  with  perfect 
safety.  Then,  after  a  particularly  rich  vein  had  been 
struck,  it  became  necessary  to  forward  a  very  large  con- 
signment of  bullion.  Contrary  to  the  usual  practice,  only 
two  men  were  sent  in  charge  of  it.  Their  dead  bodies 
were  afterwards  discovered,  and  the  gold  was  never  re- 
covered. No  one  seems  to  have  had  the  least  suspicion 
that  the  gentlemanly  engineer  at  the  mine  was  likely  to 
have  had  something  to  do  with  the  business,  and  when, 
shortly  afterward,  he  resigned  his  post  and  took  a  passage 
to  Europe,  he  received  the  highest  possible  testimonials 
from  his  manager  and  directors.  I  have  no  doubt,  myself, 


REVELATIONS  259 

that  he  was  the  prime  mover  in  the  robbery,  for  hit  salary 
was  a  small  one,  and  directly  afterwards  he  spent  six 
months  in  Paris,  where  his  expenditure  would  have  been 
lavish  for  a  millionaire." 

"  That  was  where  my  father  met  him,"  remarked  Evie. 
"  I  remember  him  expressing  surprise  at  the  simplicity 
of  Mannering's  life  at  St.  Alban's  in  view  of  the  luxury 
with  which  he  had  been  surrounded  when  they  had  met 
previously." 

"  Just  so,"  said  the  detective.  "  But  his  Paris  career 
ended  as  it  had  commenced.  He  disappeared  suddenly, 
without  a  word  of  farewell  to  any  of  his  acquaintance, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  one  bit  of  evidence,  I  should  have 
had  not  the  slightest  idea  as  to  what  he  had  been  doing 
with  himself  in  the  interval  between  that  time  and  his 
arrival  at  St.  Alban's.  You  may  remember  that  a  scientific 
expedition  was  despatched  by  the  Dutch  government  about 
six  years  ago  to  make  some  investigations  in  the  interior 
of  New  Guinea?  " 

I  shook  my  head. 

"  It  started  six  months  after  Mannering  disappeared 
from  Paris,  and  from  the  time  it  left  Batavia  en  route 
for  New  Guinea  not  a  word  has  ever  been  heard  of  it." 

"  You  cannot  mean  to  infer  that  Mannering  had  any- 
thing to  do  with  that?"  I  asked,  incredulously. 

"  I  infer  nothing,"  replied  Forrest.  "  But  I  do  know 
that  a  pocketbook,  which  had  belonged  to  a  chemist 
attached  to  the  exploring  party,  was  one  of  the  documents 
I  found  in  his  bag.  The  book  contained  a  number  of 


260          THE    MOTOR    PIRATE 

notes  upon  the  liquefaction  of  gases,  and  these  may 
very  likely  have  first  interested  Mannering  in  the  subject. 
As  I  have  since  discovered  from  a  search  of  the  registers 
at  Lloyds  that  there  were  quite  a  number  of  ships  lost 
about  the  same  time  in  those  seas,  I  cannot  help  think- 
ing that  our  friend  had  served  an  apprenticeship  under 
the  black  flag  at  sea  before  taking  to  land  piracy." 

"  At  that  rate  he  must  have  been  the  greatest  criminal 
on  earth,"  I  declared. 

"  He  was  certainly  the  biggest  I  ever  came  across," 
replied  Forrest,  "  and  my  only  regret  is  that  I  was  un- 
able to  secure  him  in  order  that  he  might  have  judicially 
paid  the  penalty  for  his  crimes." 

"  It  was  a  pity,"  I  said,  "  though  I  fancy  if  we  had 
trapped  him  he  would  have  found  some  means  of  cheating 
the  gallows  and  making  a  melodramatic  exit  from  the 
world." 

"  It  is  more  than  likely,"  said  Forrest.  "  He  was  not 
the  ordinary  type  of  criminal.  I  was  speaking  to  a  big 
mental  specialist  the  other  day,  and  —  but  I  had  better 
complete  the  story  of  his  career  first.  Where  did  we 
leave  him  ?  " 

"  New  Guinea,"  I  prompted. 

"  The  only  other  reason  I  have  for  suspecting  him  of 
being  engaged  in  deeds  of  violence  in  that  quarter  of  the 
globe  is  that  he  returned  to  England  via  Singapore,  with 
a  considerable  quantity  of  bullion  in  his  possession.  The 
rest  of  his  history  you  know." 

"  He  seems  to  have  had  a  stirring  existence,  anyhow," 


REVELATIONS  261 

I  commented.  "  And  one  hardly  sees  any  reason  for 
it  save  natural  sin." 

"  The  alienist  I  was  talking  to  the  other  day  described 
him  as  a  moral  pervert.  He  said  he  was  a  type  oi 
insanity  usually  associated  with  physical  incapacity  or 
a  low  order  of  intelligence,  but  when,  as  in  Mannering's 
case,  both  physique  and  intelligence  were  above  the 
average,  the  moral  pervert  is  a  greater  danger  to  the 
community  than  an  army  of  ordinary  criminals.  If  ever 
I  said  a  prayer  it  would  be  when  a  madman  of  that  type 
was  removed  from  the  world." 

"  Amen,"  said  both  Evie  and  I,  heartily. 


THE    END. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


A    000127394     5 


